Final Fantasy: The World of One
by Keiya Taiko
Summary: What if you had the power to change the world? A small group of youth uncover a world beyond any fantasy. And an adventure to save it and our own world from a man who can renew reality with his own fantasy.
1. The Mercenary

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
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Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
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Word - Narrator's script; Story text  
  
"Word" - Character's dialogue  
  
/Word/ - Character's thoughts  
  
*Word* - Telepathic messages  
  
- SFX  
  
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The Mercenary  
  
"This is it... we're done for... we should have heeded the sage's warning..." said a young man clad in a tattered long dark blue cloak and wearing a rather large wizard's hat. He was leaning against a rock, blood flowing heavily from three slash wounds from his abdomen.  
  
"No... don't leave us yet, Gene... we need you..." said a young woman by her side. Her whole body was cloaked in a hooded white robe that had red stripes on the wrists and held by a red sash at the waist. She then held both her arms over his abdomen and uttered "Forgiving Light, shed upon thee holy energy and mend thine broken soul! Curaga!"  
  
At once, a sacred light engulfed them both, and though Gene's cloak was still torn, blood stopped flowing, and where his wounds were was unbroken skin.  
  
"Thanks, Sarah. Although I think I exhausted most of my energy in the battle. I think I'll just fall back for now..."  
  
"You shouldn't have cast Triple and then cast twenty-seven Blizzagas in succession." Sarah reprimanded him. "You of all people should know that."  
  
Gene said as he positioned himself in a more relaxed manner against the rock, looking at the battle ensuing in front of him. It was three humans against one gigantic dragon. The dragon sported the size of about thirty feet in height and fifty feet in length, colored a deep crimson, with a large ruby jewel encrusted by a crown of horns as a plume on its head. It had humongous wings, of which would stretch to a maximum length of sixty feet from wingtip to wingtip.  
  
"A Ruby Dragon..." Gene sighed. "I should have known that even us Redwings are no match for such a terrifying beast. Still, look at the others fight. As if fear and doom was nothing to them." He said, looking in the way of the three other members of their group, dodging the dragon's attacks and fighting back whenever they had the chance.  
  
Once was a Ninja, very agile, clothed with a black ninja gi, jumping around, confusing the dragon as he lashed out with a kodachi. Another was a Gunner, clad in a long, light brown trench coat, and brandishing a rifle that shot shells that exploded in a cloud of frozen dust as they hit the dragon. The last one was a Myrmidon, a more powerful evolution of the Warrior class, wearing some light armor, which was sturdy enough to last, but light enough for him to be able to execute complicated attack maneuvers. He was wielding a gunblade, a sort of new weapon developed by the Republic of Bastok.  
  
"No kidding." Sarah said. "We sorely underestimated that dragon's capabilities. But, if those three pull this one off even without your Black Magic, the rewards are very high indeed."  
  
"True. But, as of now, I'm more concerned if we even make it out alive..." Gene frowned. "You better help them, or else they'll be char broiled."  
  
"Got it."  
  
As Sarah ran towards the battle going on, the ninja quickly pushed him away, shouting out, "Sarah, are you mad? Stay out of this!" he then dodged a fireball that came his way, and quickly began to chant, "Wood Goton!"  
  
At once, roots began to rise up from the ground, ensnaring the dragon's legs in their tight grip. The dragons tried to break free, but the roots would not let it.  
  
"Thanks a lot, Ryan!" the Gunner called out to the Ninja. "Now that he's a sitting duck..." He loaded a new shell on his rifle, and aimed it at the dragon's head. "Hyper Shot!" he thundered as a burst of energy shot out from his rifle and hit the dragon square in the chest. "Alright, score!" he cheered as the shot caused a small explosion that covered the dragon in a cloud of dust.  
  
Unfortunately, the dragon remained intact after the dust had cleared, and it raised it head towards the sky, roaring loudly.  
  
"Ryan, Cliff, Vincent, Sarah, get out there!" Gene bellowed. Too late, as the sky began to grow dim. Immediately, a burning mass of rock crashed down on the plateau they were on, and threw them off their feet. Meanwhile, the Ruby Dragon's tough skin resisted the attack, and instead burned the roots entangling it to a crisp. It then flew up a small height and began to shoot ball of flame that detonated the same way as a grenade would when they touched the ground.  
  
"Comet..." Sarah said as she struggled to get up. "Hey, guys, is everyone alright?"  
  
"I'm okay." Gene called out. "But, hey, I can't say for the others..."  
  
Both Ryan and Cliff were knocked off their feet, helpless as the dragon neared them.  
  
"Well, it's been nice knowin' ya, Cliff..."  
  
"You too, Ry..."  
  
But, as the Ruby Dragon was about to launch its infamous Flame Breath(TM), something jumped up on its rear and gave it a kick to the head. Dazed, the dragon lost control and fell down on the ground. Swiftly, the figure jumped off and landed in front of the two. They were not too surprised who it was.  
  
"Thanks for saving our hides, Vincent." Ryan the Ninja called out.  
  
"Yeah... too bad we're also outta commission... you're on your own on this one..." Cliff added.  
  
"I've been saving up for a situation like this..." Vincent the Myrmidon mumbled as he pulled out a small, fiery red stone out of his pocket.  
  
"Whoa! Is that what I think it is?" Cliff said in wonder.  
  
"If you're talking about an Aura Stone, then you're right." Gene told him.  
  
"Aura Stone? You mean that thing that boosts all of your powers and drives you to your limit?" Ryan asked.  
  
And, as for an answer, Vincent raised the Aura Stone with his left hand. At once, he felt a fiery energy renewing his vitality. He then tightened his grip on his gunblade and faded in a flash of red. "Let's go."  
  
The Ruby Dragon tried to fire its breath attacks on the Myrmidon, but through the power of the Aura Stone, he ran at uncanny speeds and dodged the foe's attacks. The Dragon was getting confused, and was trying to swipe at thin air to hit him. However, he proved to be a match for even the most powerful of dragons. After a while, when he saw that the Ruby Dragon was getting tired, he began to make his offensive.  
  
He ran forward first, and slashed at the dragon's left side. The dragon's two left legs were hit in precision, causing it to lose its balance. He quickly dodged the dragon's sudden outrage, and then moved towards the head and hit it with the blunt side of the gunblade. Dazed, the dragon was rendered immobile. He then moved to its right side and did the same with the other two limbs. Unable to do nothing but scream in pain, the dragon tried to fire its Flame Breath in a circular radius, desperate to attack the nimble fighter. But, as if all was in the plan. Vincent jumped straight up, and landed a vertical slash to the dragon's head. The dragon's horns broke, and it began to scream more horribly than before. It then raised its head to the sky, roaring loudly.  
  
"Vincent, watch out! It's going to cast Comet again!" Sarah warned.  
  
But, it was unable to. As Sarah finished her sentence, Vincent dashed backward, and stretched out in a difficult stance. His gunblade shone bright red, and then he ran towards the enemy and leaped up vertically before...  
  
"OUGI: ZANTETSUKEN!!!" Vincent shouted out as he brought down his weapon. The force of his attack cleaved the Ruby Dragon cleanly in half, along with the ground underneath it.  
  
As Vincent rose up recovering from his assault, he heard the others clapping.  
  
"Wow! That was amazing!" Sarah said in admiration.  
  
"Yeah... who would have known Myrmidons could execute a Zantetsuken?" Ryan said, who was being supported by Cliff. Apparently, his left leg was injured by the Comet spell.  
  
"It's not your fault. After all, Myrmidons are relatively new here." Cliff added.  
  
"I would stay for small talk, but I want my payment." Vincent said quietly.  
  
"Yes... yes..." Gene answered. "Well, we'll just send the 20,000 Gil we promised you to your Mog Bank Account, okay?"  
  
"WHOA!!! 20,000 Gil? How come he gets a big payment, and he's not even a Redwing?" Cliff complained.  
  
"Chill, Cliff." Ryan said. "After all, if I read this mission right, the reward from the consulate for killing that dragon is 400,000 big ones. We'd be living the good life when we report the end of this mission."  
  
"If that's the case, then, I'm okay... as long as I get 25,000 Gil!" Cliff told Gene.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Good. I'm leaving." Vincent said. He then moved away from them and then pulled out a small device that looked like a mobile phone. He then pressed a few keys, and a small hologram of a female fairy figure sans the wings came out. "Do you wish to end your session?" The fairy asked him in a cute, gentle voice.  
  
"Yes, please." Vincent answered.  
  
"Please wait... request in process..." The wingless fairy said. "Request confirmed. Logging off Esthar server..." After this, the fairy disappeared, and so did the mountains and the plateau.  
  
At once, everything became blank, and he felt like being dragged downward in a vortex of darkness. He closed his eyes, and then felt the pull disappear. When he opened his eyes, he saw himself at the local VR HUB Café, seated in one of the VR simulators. He lifted the glass door that covered his simulator, and then stepped outside to the local mall. Glancing at his clock, he found the date and time. It was 8:00 in the evening, August 5, 2009. He needed to get home right away.  
  
He was still quite young, having finished high school just last year. He had dark brown hair which wasn't really very short, but not long enough to reach chin length, and a pair of deep blue eyes. He had an average build, as well as an average height and weight. Basically, he believes average is the best word to describe him. But, he was really tired of the average.  
  
/Life's just plain boring here.../ Vincent thought as he passed a couple of girls drooling over a poster of a famous movie star's new movie.  
  
"Wow, isn't Leo Vance the coolest?" One remarked.  
  
"Keep your hands off him, Kate, you know we're engaged." the other threatened her.  
  
"Yeah, right." the first one answered back.  
  
Vincent snickered and left the two, disgusted by their primitive minds.  
  
/Idiots like them make this world pointless./  
  
/Just the same thing everyday./  
  
He was about to sit down on a bench when he heard someone calling him.  
  
"Hey, Vince, wait up!" a female's voice called out.  
  
Though they were dressed in casual attire, he recognized them as the Redwings members he assisted earlier: Sarah, Ryan, Cliff and Gene. Sarah sat down next to him, while the other three stood up there.  
  
Sarah had a slender build, with neck length flaming red hair and emerald green eyes. She normally wore a denim top over sleeveless shirts, designer jeans and her pair of either red, black or white rubber shoes. She was ranked number one in St. Xavier's the private school he and they once attended.  
  
Ryan had average height and a good, muscular build, mainly because he was once a member of the football team. He had short, light gray hair, which he always kept standing with a bandanna, and crimson eyes. He was half- Japanese like Vincent, and is an avid practitioner of both Karate and Kendo, gaining a black belt and a very high sword mastery level of 9 at his early age of 17. His favorite garments seemed to be large and baggy shirts, and slacks of the same size.  
  
Cliff was the second tallest of the group, with long auburn hair which was tied up in a ponytail, and gray eyes. He was the resident funny man, having thousands of jokes on his vocabulary and hundreds of practical jokes played on almost everyone they know attributed to his name. He would wear long sleeves and jeans as a part of everyday wear. He also happens to be very popular among the ladies.  
  
Gene, being Sarah's elder brother, was naturally older than them. He stood at a height of 6' 2", though he had a very slender figure. He had short white blond hair and Sarah's emerald green eyes. He wore eyeglasses in the real world to support his vision, though her doesn't need them when they play in the virtual world. And, as if intelligence runs in their blood, he was a very accomplished Electronics and Communications Engineer in the short span of 2 years, though it normally took 4 to complete the course. He also happens to be the leader of the Redwings, a small, relatively new clan which had only ten members to this date.  
  
"Hey, man! You care if we join ya for a while?" Clifford asked him.  
  
"Get out of my face." Vincent grumbled.  
  
"Awww... jeez... c'mon, Vince, you're so uptight!" Cliff gawked. "You should stop and smell the gardenias every once in a while, ya know."  
  
"Keep it down, Cliff." Ryan told his friend. "We won't force you our company, Vincent, but if you need us, you know where to call us."  
  
/Like I need your help./ "Yeah, whatever."  
  
"Seriously Vincent, you should consider joining the Redwings." Gene began.  
  
"Yeah, Vince. Myrmidons are still a new class in the Vana'diel continent, and we've seen firsthand what they are capable of thanks to you." Sarah added.  
  
"Yeah... Zantetsuken? I remember that only the avatar Odin can do that one." Cliff followed up.  
  
"Myrmidons are master of both blades and of gunblades." Vincent explained quietly. "Mastery of such skills as Climhazzard, Stock Break, Banishing Blade and Zantetsuken are part of our job. We draw our skills from legendary sword masters, the avatars Odin and Yojimbo being the foremost. However, not too many choose the Myrmidon class, as it is a very difficult job that might tear you apart if you are not prepared."  
  
"I see..." Ryan replied. "Sounds like a very good challenge. I shall look forward to thinking about switching to this class in the future."  
  
"I'm thrilled to hear that. Unfortunately, I don't think I can stay longer." Vincent said. "I'll think about your offer and return with an answer tomorrow morning."  
  
"Thanks, Vince." Gene told him. "We'll see tomorrow morning, then."  
  
Vincent walked home that night with not too much events that occurred. When he finally reached home, he was greeted by his parents and his younger sister Saemi.  
  
"Good evening, son." Vincent's dad greeted him. He was Vincent's source of dark brown hair, and was completely of Japanese origin. "Did you have a good day?"  
  
"Sort of." Vincent answered, taking a plate.  
  
"You should take a rest, dear." His mom said. She has Vincent's deep blue eyes, and a long mane of white blond hair. Although she was in her early forties, she didn't look a day older than thirty.  
  
"Hey, big bro, want to play with the ball Auntie Haruko sent us?" Saemi asked him. She had the same dark brown hair he had, but her eyes were shaded in a dark gray, much like his father.  
  
"I'm sorry I can't. Maybe some other time. I'm really tired today." Vincent apologized.  
  
"Oh, alright. But promise you play with me, okay?"  
  
"No problem."  
  
After taking a shower, Vincent then proceeded to his bedroom and dropped on his bed. After a while, he began to fall asleep...  
  
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Author's notes:  
  
A KODACHI, unless you know, is defined as a short Japanese sword. Aoshi Shinomori or Rurouni Kenshin fame or Ayame of Tenchu utilize such weapons. Though it has less range than a katana (the standard Japanese sword), it is preferred by assassins since it is easier to wield.  
  
GOTON is Ninja Magic. If you played FF Tactics Advance, you may recognize them as the Veils.  
  
Okay, I took a break from my Love Hina fanfic and began submerging myself in the world of video games once again. After a few weeks of playing Final Fantasy XI, X-2, Tactics Advance, VIII and Origins, I HAD to write this one down. If some notice, yeah that's Vincent, the character from my Love Hina fanfic. Don't try to think that this is in any way connected with my LH fanfic, since a lot of things will conflict.  
  
Anyway, Domo Alligator for reading this piece, and I shall return in a few days with Chapter Two. 


	2. Important Mission

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
******************************************  
  
Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
******************************************  
  
Second Chapter... where fate begins to take shape. Oh, I forgot to tell you the premise of the story... Imagine the near future... where the computer industry will take a big leap and create realistic virtual play... where you use you own thought patterns and brain waves to play the game, instead of the consoles. Such will allow you actually 'feel' the game. The most famous of these virtual games is a game called 'Final Fantasy', a world similar to reality but with swords and magic replacing guns and war weapons. Captivated by the beauty of this 'reality', many people began to play the said game, and began to 'live' in the world of 'Final Fantasy'. But, what is reality?  
  
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Important Mission  
  
"So, what'll be today?" a teenage, black-haired waitress asked Gene, Ryan, Cliff and Sarah the next day at an exclusive table at the Gold Chocobo, the most active and Tavern/Clan's Guild in the Gutenberg County of the Bastok Republic.  
  
"The usual!" Cliff answered, his eyeing the waitress' legs and bosom.  
  
"Same goes for me, please." Ryan replied, grabbing Cliff's head and smacking it on the table.  
  
"Keep 'em comin'!" Sarah added.  
  
"I wonder..." Gene said.  
  
"Ow..." Cliff said, nursing a nasty bump on his head (which now had a comical bandage). "Why can't ya just lemme off the hook sometimes, Ry? You're getting too grumpy nowadays."  
  
"What do you mean by, you wonder?" Ryan asked Gene, ignoring Cliff's statement.  
  
"Oh, yes... um, guys, we have a new mission on our hands. I'm jsut wondering as to why they would let us, a small clan like us do this big mission." Gene said.  
  
"Yeah, right. And I'm a big fat ugly Galka with warts and whatnot growin' on my skin." Cliff answered lazily.  
  
"No, it's true. Look at this." Gene pulled out a mobile pone similar to Vincent's and punched a few items on the keypad. At once, a miniature hologram of a man about thirty or so years old appeared. He looked like a normal person, with a clean-shaven face and short white-blonde hair, but what made him different was an odd red gleam in his eyes, as well as pointy ears.  
  
"An Elvaan? What would an Elvaan bum want with us?" Cliff growled.  
  
"Cliff, keep it down." Sarah whispered lethally. "I swore I saw a few Galka Dark Knights at Table 42 heard your little remark. What do you want to happen to us, be murdered?"  
  
"Okay, okay, take it easy..." Cliff "Geez, what are you guys so worked up about anyway?"  
  
"It's because you just think about women, insulting other clans and races and spending as much Gil as possible rather than working seriously." Ryan answered sharply. "We need less of fools like you in this world, much less the real one. I might even go as far as believing that you have only ONE BRAIN CELL in that thick cranium of yours."  
  
"Hey, that's so UNTRUE! I... uh... I have... eight... yeah... eight of them right now!"  
  
Gene cleared his throat to catch everyone's attention. "Why did I ever end up with you guys? Anyway, We should wait for Vincent to see if he's interested in the mission."  
  
"What mission?" Gene almost jumped out of his seat when he heard someone say that from behind him. Regaining his composure, he looked behind to see Vincent looking at him with an aloof expression on his face. Gene then got up and offered im a seat.  
  
"Vincent! Good timing! Here, have a seat. Want a drink? Have you decided to join the Redwings?"  
  
"No, thank you. As for the Redwings, I shall be content on aiding you in you missions." Vincent said as he sat down next to a very relaxed Cliff whose feet were on the table, and was rocking his chair back and forth, daydreaming. Until, that is, Ryan swept the two legs supporting the chair with his right leg, causing Cliff to crash down with a loud THUD.  
  
Many of the people who saw the scene were laughing mad. The waitress who attended them a while ago had to lean on the back of an empty chair to keep herself from falling since she was laughing so hard. Even Gene couldn't suppress a giggle.  
  
Enraged, Cliff pulled out his Bismarck Rifle, and if it wasn't for Sarah's Sleep spell, the whole place would have been filled with bullet holes, not to mention the heads of many people who were there.  
  
"Alright, it's time to get to business." Gene said, reactivating the hologram. "This mission we'll be handling isn't an ordinary one. So, why don't you hear for yourself what the mission is all about?"  
  
He pressed a few more keys, and the hologram began to talk. He spoke in a refined tone, and had a British accent.  
  
"Greetings, brave adventurers. I am Ulrich Lancaster, a Captain of the Temple Knights of San D'oria. I must say that I am quite impressed that you have accepted this mission. This will be no ordinary mission. It is a very difficult one I'm afraid. However, we are willing to pay you up to five million Gil and a Free Pass to any point in the continent."  
  
"Five million Gil?" Sarah gasped. "Five MILLION!? And then we get free movement ANYWHERE? Is this a bluff?"  
  
"Now, I think you must understand this mission thoroughly." The Ulrich hologram continued. "About two or three months ago, an ambassador from Palamecia in the form of a Dark Knight named Golbez had come to pay respects to our new king, Lord Edward. The young King accepted him as both a friend and an advisor. Ever since then, he ceased from visiting us Temple Knights, and began to spend more time fashioning airships and war weapons together with Golbez.  
  
"Recently we have heard about Golbez being appointed by the king himself as the new leader of the Royal Knights. We have also heard about Golbez's plan to create both a battleship and a spaceship fleet for San D'oria. We fear he and the king might be planning something that involves the invasion of Bastok and Windurst. But, as they are juts rumors, none will believe us.  
  
"That is why I turn to you, young adventurers. Your mission to infiltrate the Dreadnought, the flagship of the Elvaan Spaceship Fleet, docked in the Castle of Mount Saint Ordeals, and search for any evidence you may find that we can present to the Council of Jueno, supporting our claims and stopping the king from planning such treachery. I know that I am the king's servant, but I am a human being first and knight second. I cannot allow the king to cause any violence that may lead to yet another war. I pray you understand, young adventurers. If you are willing to continue this mission, meet me tomorrow at noon at the Elysian Tavern in the City of Saint Ordeals."  
  
After completing the last sentence, the hologram faded. Gene then put the mobile phone back in his cloak's pocket and said, "So, how about it, guys? Ready for a little spy work?"  
  
"Okay, so let me get this straight." Sarah said. "That Ulrich wants us infiltrate Mount Saint Ordeals Castle, the most well-guarded, known to be impregnable fortress ever know, and sneak inside an equally well-guarded airship and risk our tails for five million Gil?"  
  
"Sort of like that." Gene answered.  
  
"Hmm... a good challenge. It seems that this job will be worth the five million. The Goblins we dispatched earlier this day were a bunch of pushovers." Ryan answered.  
  
"Not a bad idea." Sarah added. "Five million Gil..." Her eyes were sparkling, thinking about how she would spend that money here in the virtual world.  
  
"What about you, Vincent?" Gene asked.  
  
"The decision is yours. I'm just here to support you." Vincent told him.  
  
"Well, at least just tell us if you're not interested in it." Gene said. "I mean, we're not exactly forcing you to help us."  
  
"Then, shall 250,000 Gil be an enough fee for my services?"  
  
"250,000?" Gene was shocked at Vincent's request.  
  
"Once this mission has been accomplished, you will have more than enough to pay for that." he said.  
  
"No... It's not that, Vince. I mean, that's too small a price. If you wish, you can take up to a million, since you and Ryan will most likely be our point men..."  
  
"250,000 Gil." Vincent replied firmly. "Now, we should get going. The sooner we get done with this, the better."  
  
"Hey, wake up, we're going." Ryan shook Cliff vigorously.  
  
"Mwaaah... huh?" Cliff woke up from a very deep sleep.  
  
"Never mind."  
  
================================  
  
"This is the place..." Gene said as he read the signboard. It was nighttime when they reached Saint Ordeals. It read 'Elysian' and seemed to be booming with people of all shapes and races. They got inside and talked to the Elvaan bartender behind the wine bar.  
  
"So, what'll be, boys?" the man asked.  
  
"One Martini, shaken not stirred." Cliff replied, of which he got a blow to the head from Ryan as his answer.  
  
"Wild Rose." Gene whispered to the bartender.  
  
"Wait a moment." The bartender said as he disappeared behind the door at the other side of the bar. After a while, he reappeared and whispered, "Get in."  
  
"Hey, Slim, what's that you told the guy?" Cliff asked Gene as they passed through a dark, narrow way with light at the end.  
  
"A password." Gene answered. "Ulrich told me about it. The Wild Rose... the crest of the Elvaan Templars."  
  
After the narrow path was a spacious room that had tables, a virtual board, and three Elvaan persons that waited for them in silence. They recognized one as Ulrich.  
  
"Well... you are the Redwings, right?" Ulrich asked.  
  
"Yes..." Gene answered.  
  
"Have a seat, gentlemen... and lady." One of Ulrich's comrades, a tall lady with neck-length black hair gray eyes beckoned them to sit down some chairs arranged facing the virtual board. They all found their seats and relaxed.  
  
"Now that we are here, let us first familiarize with each other." Ulrich said. "I need no further introductions. This here," he pointed towards the tall lady who gave them their seats. "Is Xu Lei, a subordinate of mine, and there," he pointed to the man in the opposite side of the room. "Is Rufus, a Captain with a rank parallel to mine. He got those scars when he fought and tore a Ruby Dragon in half with his bare hands."  
  
Rufus just stood there, leaning against one of the walls and leering at them. He had a tall, burly build, and was wearing only a vest as his top, which three slash scars that ran vertically across his chest. He nodded as a sort of greeting.  
  
It was Gene who stood up and began. "I am Gene McIntyre, Redwings leader. This is my younger sister Sarah, this here is Cliff Sutherland, and there" Gene motioned towards Ryan and Vincent. "Are the two point men for the job... Ryan Ogawa and Vincent Nomura."  
  
"Very well... I am pleased to meet you all..." Ulrich replied. "Now, it is time for the mission. Xu will go over the mission parameters. Xu?"  
  
"Yes..." Xu replied. She booted the virtual board, and after a few minutes, it began to display an elaborate blueprint.  
  
"Whoa!" Sarah exclaimed. "That's... that's Saint Ordeals Castle!"  
  
"Yes... the floor plan of Saint Ordeals.." Xu replied. "From the Temple Archives. Now, shall I continue?"  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
"Let us be straight to the pont as possible." Xu answered. "Your two point men, therefore known as the Infiltration Team, will infiltrate the Dreadnought and bring back voice recordings... treaties... anything we can use against the king and Golbez to stop them from what they are planning to do. The other three will pose as ambassadors from Bastok who will request an audience with his Royal Majesty, King Edward. This is to draw attention away from the Dreadnought so the Infiltration Team can procure the items easily.  
  
"The Dreadnought shall depart tomorrow from Saint Ordeals to Esthar City, the capital of Palamecia in the early hours of the evening. We shall begin all operations at 3:00 in the afternoon. Make sure you are here tomorrow by 9:00 AM, to smoothen any wrinkles in the plan."  
  
"Okay, will do." Gene answered.  
  
"As for the Infiltration team," Xu added. "You will need the proper equipment... Night Vision Goggles, Waterproof Gear, Knockout Gas, and vice versa. You can find them here tomorrow. Now, are there any questions?"  
  
"Yeah..." Cliff said. "You available this Friday night?"  
  
Ryan quickly silenced Cliff with a blow to the shin the scabbard of his katana.  
  
"Any more questions with sense?" Xu asked.  
  
"Yes." Vincent asked. "Why are you calling on a small mercenary group to execute this plan, much less Human mercenaries? Why not ask large and organized groups such as the Elvaan Avalanche Clan?"  
  
"Because," Ulrich began. "Clans from San D'oria are funded by the Kingdom. And large clans from the other countries have connections to their own respective governments. Should you get caught, we are trying to classify this activity as an independent attack, and not somehow connected to any government, to prevent bloodshed between our people. "  
  
"I see..." Ryan said, his eyes closed and bringing up a bitter smile. "So, you mean to say, that should we fail, you shall use the Redwings' name as a scapegoat to blame for the attack?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Don't answer that question." Gene answered. "We already know that."  
  
"Alright then, we shall begin operation tomorrow by 0900 hours. Meet us here Do not be late." Xu answered.  
  
Vincent stood up and walked away.  
  
"Hey, Vince where ya goin'?" Cliff asked.  
  
"Training." He left through the narrow tunnel, and disappeared from their site.  
  
"What's with him?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Have no idea.." Gene answered.  
  
"He is valuable to you, eh?" Rufus growled, making each of them turn their head toward him.  
  
"Well... sort of." Sarah said. "But... he doesn't seem to have any emotions or somewhat. He's like a machine that can't feel anything..."  
  
"Don't worry about him." Ryan remarked. "He may be cold, but he's the most reliable person I know.  
  
"I guess you're right..." Sarah said. "Well... I think we should get some rest. I'll see you all tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Alright..." Ryan answered.  
  
"Sure ya will..." Cliff added. He was polishing Bismarck with his sleeves as he walked away. "Ya hear that, baby? We're gonna have a big mission. If you help me get through this, I promise you I'll buy you that set of Mythril counterweights I couldn't buy you some time last week, that I guaran-damn-tee."  
  
"Because I was too busy spending it on a Mithra I met who was really a thief who robbed me of my wallet." Ryan added grimly.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
===================================  
  
Well, this is Chapter Two. If you are an avid player of the Final Fantasy series, you will find many terms coming from different parts of the FF Canon. Anyway, I'll be back with Chapter Three after a few.  
  
Thank you for reading this fanfic. 


	3. Failure

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
******************************************  
  
Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
******************************************  
  
This fanfic is rated PG-13 for strong language, violence, alcohol and suggestive themes.  
  
******************************************  
  
Failure  
  
"Ah, so you are goodwill ambassadors from Bastok, yes?" a small, mouse-like Elvaan vested in royal uniform asked that following day.  
  
"Yes... um... we were se here to pay our homage to King Edward." Gene answered. "And to see the capabilities of the Dreadnought for ourselves."  
  
Gene, Sarah and Cliff were talking to and attendant of the Saint Ordeals Castle. They were wearing ridiculous robes that Ulrich gave them, which he says are Bastok Republic formal attire.  
  
"Can I take off this cranky piece of stinkin' curtain? It's giving me an allergy." Cliff remarked, which was cut short by Sarah's foot stomp.  
  
"Anyway, is there a chance we can see the Dreadnought?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Ah, yes! The Dreadnought is going on its maiden voyage today, carrying a tribute to Palamecia!" the attendant squeaked as he clapped his hand once. "We can have you board it as Guests of the King! You shall dine with His Royal Highness, and then meet the Emperor of Palamecia himself! Yes, Please DO come this way..."  
  
The attendant began to lead them through a series of corridors, which were filled with paintings and decorations. And with each one, the attendant would never cease to mention its importance of the artifact or of the dead person portrayed.  
  
"Ah, yes! The Cup of Elda, which was used to tell the tales of the old heroes! And the Ayvuir, the sword of King Gaol, the mighty Elvaan king, and this here is Baron Lunais..."  
  
"Man, does this guy ever run out of crap to pull out?" Cliff whispered. "I mean, it's like this and that and this and that and this..."  
  
"I get the pic, Cliff." Sarah whispered back. "But we need to make it to the Dreadnought."  
  
===================================  
  
Meanwhile, outside Saint Ordeals, two shadows moving in sync with each other and at a very good speed.  
  
"It seems that Myrmidons are very fast also." Ryan commented Vincent as they paused and hid behind the a wall to not be spotted by a heavy looking guard. It seemed that the only way to the hallway behind it was to engage it, but to risk the mission.  
  
"We'll need to take down that guard from a distance." Vincent said. "Sleep Spell would work good now."  
  
"Don't worry." Ryan said as he pulled out a slender bamboo pole that was hollowed out in the middle. He pulled out a small dart from somewhere inside his gi and loaded it into the pole. Ryan examined the guard by making small glimpses, and when the guard had its back turned, he quickly aimed the dart and fired.  
  
The dart hit home at the back of the guard's neck. The guard winced a bit and began to clutch the dart, but before he could reach for it, he dropped down on the floor.  
  
"A blow gun?" Vincent asked as they zoomed past the guard and into the hallway.  
  
"Hai."Ryan said. "Don't worry. That dart only contained sleeping venom, and he shall wake up in a few days... if he is lucky." he added with a dark smile.  
  
"You are a sick man." Vincent commented as they soared out of a window and up the parapets of the palace.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
They continued to dash and jump across the rooftops until they reached the Spaceport where the Dreadnought was docked. They hid some crated and began to scan the area.  
  
It was a very large spaceship indeed. Taking the form of a gigantic metal dragon, it was filled with cannons, missiles and guns of all sorts from every possible side. The wind from its thrusters warming up emitted a hot gust that gave an uncomfortable feeling in the air. Vincent could have sworn he heard dragon howls and roars coming from the Dreadnought itself.  
  
"So... this is the Dreadnought?" Ryan whispered.  
  
"A... monster..." Vincent added.  
  
"True..."  
  
"Do you think they'll use it against Bastok and Windurst?" Vincent asked.  
  
"I don't know..." Ryan said. "But, We shouldn't stay and find out. If their agenda was to use this behemoth against us, we are doomed. We should destroy it immediately once we get the Intel."  
  
"Okay." Vincent said.  
  
As they were looking on for a gap to which get inside the spaceship, they spotted Gene, Cliff and Sarah being escorted by a squat, funny-looking Elvaan inside the Dreadnought.  
  
"Sound like they got in with not so much difficulty. We should get moving." Ryan said. In the blink of and eye, he ran swiftly, constantly dodging behind crates and materials in the Spaceport to conceal himself. Vincent followed suit, but he found that his speed was no match for Ryan's.  
  
==================================  
  
"Welcome to the Elvaan's Pride, the Dreadnought!" The attendant squeaked as he lead the trio inside the spaceship. "With the Dreadnought in out hands, we will no longer fear the threats of the Beast Men. In fact, thanks to this advanced technology from Lord Golbez of Palamecia, we are confident to rid this world of the Beast Men once and for all!"  
  
"That so?" Cliff asked. On a mental note , he thought, /Dang! And I enjoyed making those stupid orcs dance by shooting at their toes.../  
  
"I see..." Gene remarked. "But, who is this Golbez? And why did he come here?"  
  
"Ah, Lord Golbez? Yes, he is a good friend of the King." The attendant replied. "He came from Palamecia, telling us that there is no need for Tarutaru and high magic knowledge when we have such great technology from the empire. After that, Lord Golbez helped us create the Baron fleet. With the completion of the Dreadnought, we are now ready to assault Pandemonium Island, the Beast Men's largest fortress. This shall be the final battle. We need no support from both Bastok and Windurst. The Holy Kingdom of San D'oria shall make history by defeating the Beast Men alone!"  
  
"A fleet of spaceships to destroy the Beast Men?" Sarah summarized.  
  
"Yes. Forgive us for not telling your government, but it is an interior matter."  
  
"Peace. We're just here to see the strength of this weapon of yours. Can you show us around some more?" Gene asked. He was quite a speaker when he was a high school student, and he was always branded as a good leader for activities.  
  
"Why certainly."  
  
==================================  
  
"Good job, Vincent." Ryan whispered as they soared past a few guards and towards another flight of stairs. "I am very impressed by your performance."  
  
"Shut up and get going " Vincent said. They were halfway across the hall when they heard footsteps.  
  
"Rats..." Ryan whispered. He looked around for someplace to hide, and found a ventilation shaft on a nearby wall. "Over here!" he called out to Vincent. He opened up the shaft and they both crawled in.  
  
It was pitch-black darkness inside. If a guy was claustrophobic and he went in here, he would have died.  
  
"NV gogs." Ryan said. Vincent immediately whipped out his Night Vision Goggles and put them on. They crawled through the vent, peering at openings they encounter on the way. They have no idea what it is they are looking for, but they continued to look for it. While peering into the vents, they saw eerie-looking suits of armor lined up like a battalion in some rooms. In some rooms, they saw that the suits were moving(!). In other rooms, they could see some imperial officers plotting and planning strategies.  
  
"Beast Men?" Ryan asked. "They are building this to destroy the Beast Men?"  
  
"Distant dream." Vincent said. "That is only suicide."  
  
Finally, they reached a dead end, where they found something very interesting.  
  
It was a large room, decorated with flags of San D'oria. It had a bed, a table and many other furnishings. At the chair paired to the table sat a young Elvaan man, probably in his late twenties, facing a towering man clad entirely in a suit of black armor, with a helmet that had two large ram- like horns protruding out of it. The armored man was had its back turned to them, so they were not able to see his face. However, the Elvaan seated had golden blonde hair and light blue eyes.  
  
"King Edward." Vincent muttered.  
  
"King Edward?" Ryan repeated.  
  
"Yes. I saw his photo on the Vana 'diel Tribune." Vincent said. "Tat is no doubt King Edward."  
  
And they paused to listen more intently.  
  
"Ah, Golbez, I take it that we are ready to leave and pay the emperor a visit?" Edward asked  
  
"We shall grace the emperor with you gifts." Golbez answered. Vincent did not like the tone of his voice at all. There was something about it that gave him shivers whenever Golbez said a word.  
  
"I... see..."  
  
"You are on your way to becoming a great king. Much greater than even the fabled King Lionheart himself."  
  
"I see... and when shall I meet the emperor?"  
  
"You shall not meet the emperor."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Thank you, Edward. You have graced the emperor with your gifts of treasures, the Dreadnought, and your very essence!"  
  
"This is a joke, right?"  
  
"Foolish boy... did you not notice? All the Royal Knights of old have been replaced with superior beings... the Dread Knights! I used the fund of the Kingdom to create them, and they shall serve me properly. I was sent there by the emperor to take San D'oria. Then, to use its power to take Bastok and Windurst. Pretty soon, the world shall crumble at the power of Palamecia! All shall bow to the emperor! And what better way to take it than to report your ASSASSINATION, and then succeed you king?" "What!? But... no you cannot succeed me king... only Elvaan..."  
  
"Thank you, Edward. But that is not of your concern anymore. You may rest." Ryan and Vincent's eyes were not too fast to see it, but they say Golbez whip out something quite heavy, and it struck Edward, who was trying to stand and grasp a rapier, in the abdomen. The king fell, bleeding heavily.  
  
"Why? I... "  
  
"You, a great king? You are nothing but refuse from this world! Unlike me, or the emperor, who are but perfect beings. This world will be better without you imperfections. Now fade and turn to dust!"  
  
Golbez's laugh rang across the room as he left. After he did, Ryan quickly popped away the grills covering the vent and to the kings's aid.  
  
"Damn it, where's a White Mage when you need one?" Vincent swore. As of the time, Ryan was administering an Elixir to heal the king.  
  
"Who... who are you..."  
  
"We're your allies." Ryan said. "Who was that?"  
  
"G-Golbez... a... demon... he tricked me... a...fool...."  
  
"Shh..." Vincent calmed Edward down. "Save your strength."  
  
"No... I shall live no longer..." Edward said. "Take this... crystal... and look for... the Lost Village of Summoners... take it to them... you are the hope for Vana 'diel... do not fail!"  
  
"We shall do it." Vincent said, taking the crystal in his hand. It looked like the broken half of a crystal, attached to a silver chain, which remarked that it would be worn around the neck.  
  
"Tell... my people... and everyone... forgive..." Edward breathed his last. Ryan let down his head, and stood up. "Vincent, let us go. Time runs short. If we continue to stay here, Vana 'diel is doomed."  
  
"Yes..." Vincent stood up, but he continued to look at Edwards' body. At once, a deafening alarm blared, and the continuous message of "Intruder Alert!" sounded through the PA.  
  
"How..."  
  
"Not the time to think." Ryan said. "Just run."  
  
They tried to climb again through the ventilation, but found that is became electrocuted. "An impregnable space fortress..." Ryan said. "We'll have to run."  
  
"Ryan, did you see that?" Vincent asked.  
  
"See what?"  
  
"Edward did not fade away and disappear after his death."  
  
"And your point is?"  
  
"Normally, a person or a CPU character would disappear in a flash should it die, like the monsters." Vincent explained. "But, he didn't what happened...?"  
  
"We'll think about that later..." Ryan said. "Let's run while we still can!"  
  
==================================  
  
"What was that?" Gene asked as they heard the alarm blare.  
  
"Oh, dear me... someone has broken through and attacked the king...:" the attendant said. "I'm afraid we'll have to postpone the..."  
  
He stopped as another Elvaan, a soldier came and whispered something to him.  
  
"Ah... What!!! Oh... dear me... Yes... I see..." The attendant then faced the three and said. "You are all accused of high treason and are guilty of plotting and successfully assassinating the King Edward."  
  
"Whadya mean?" Cliff asked.  
  
'Do not play dumb with me, boy!" the attendant said. "I know you are all part of an assassin team to kill the king. You shall not leave this place alive!" Behind the attendant rose large suits of black armor, only they are moving, without anyone inside them!  
  
The suits of armor started to walk towards them, carrying swords, axes, spears and many other weapons.  
  
"Damn! Too many of them!" Gene said, firing as many spells as he could muster while the three of them made a run for it. But, as he took down one, three took its place and a while later, that one would rise again.  
  
"You will not leave this place alive!!!" The attendant howled. "We are currently hovering over the Sea of Alfheim, and are a hundred miles from shore! There is no escape! Fall prey to the Dread Knights!"  
  
"What a nice time to not have a weapon!" Cliff pouted. They continued to run until they stopped at a brick wall.  
  
"Dead End!" Sarah said.  
  
The Dread Knights were looming closer, and Gene was getting tired.  
  
"No... it can't end like this..." Gene said. "I... sorry... everyone..." He then fell and fainted in front of Cliff and Sarah.  
  
"Gene? Gene!" Sarah tried to wake up his big brother.  
  
"He's just tired. But what about us?" Cliff told Sarah.  
  
Suddenly, the Dread Knights cornering them fell down with a CLANG sound, and then they saw Ryan and Vincent running towards them.  
  
"Guys..."  
  
"No talk. Just run." Ryan said. Vincent and Cliff supported Gene up, and they began to flee to another way. Behind them was a large hoard of Dread Knights on their pursuit.  
  
They kept on running until they reached the deck. There, they found no escape but to jump below.  
  
Suddenly, a missile shot and hit a huge group of Dread Knights. They looked around for the source, and saw a rather small airship(compared to the Dreadnought) from where they saw Xu and Ulrich waving from the deck. They quickly shot cables to connect thier ship wiht the Dreadnought.  
  
"Here are you weapons." Xu said, throwing them their arms: Sarah's Power Staff, Cliff's Bismarck, Ryan's Murasame, and Vincent's Flame Saber gunblade. "Use the cables to get here. Abort this mission at once."  
  
But, the Dread Knights have once again rose and are after them. They were determined to fight, but Vincent stopped them. "Take Gene to the ship and get out of here. I'll draw their fire."  
  
"But Vince..." Sarah said.  
  
"No buts. Get out of here, NOW!"  
  
"Promise we'll see each other again, okay?"  
  
"Yes." Vincent then ran the opposite way and waved to the Dread Knights. "Come and get me rust buckets!!!"  
  
Stopping at a certain point, he knew he couldn't run no longer, so her began to run towards them and attack. This was the challenge he was looking for, the escape from the average. He didn't care if he was dispatched that day, or even deleted from the players' files, but to him all was good.  
  
He lashed out his gunblade, taking down many Dread Knights with each slash. But, they were no end. Even as he crashed down a few, the flow of black metal was unstoppable.  
  
He was getting fatigued, and there were still many of them. Then, a strange thing happened. The Dread Knights stopped their advance. They began to move aside, and Vincent didn't have to wonder why. Golbez stepped up and leered darkly at him.  
  
Golbez's face was not in view, as his helmet hid most of it, but his eyes were the most striking feature. He had inhuman eyes, ones that were of yellow in color. Vaguely resembling human eyes, they reminded Vincent of that of a serpent's.  
  
"Hmm... very heroic..." He said in the tone that seemed to remind Vincent of drowning in freezing water. "To offer you life so friends could escape... but I doubt they'll live."  
  
"What... What... do you mean...?"  
  
"The king is dead." Golbez said. "And I shall preside as the ruling body. As such, I shall need to see to it that the king's murderers are brought to justice. The human assassins who killed King Edward."  
  
"No... you wouldn't..."  
  
"Oh? Let me tell you something, my boy." Golbez replied with malicious pleasure. "There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who are perfect, and those who are but refuse. In order to be perfect, refuse must be taken away. Those who are weak enough not to accept power are but nothing... and are useful only for sacrifice."  
  
"You... you are to use them as scapegoats for the king's death?"  
  
"Why, certainly."  
  
"B... B... B... BASTARD!!!" Vincent had never known much hate in his life. He rushed forward, his anger focused on his weapon and attacked with his most powerful deathblow.  
  
"OMNISLASH!!!" Vincent cried as both his blade and a massive reserve of energy was brought down upon Golbez.  
  
"Fool..." Golbez said. He grasped the blade in one hand, with three fingers, and knocked it out of the way. Vincent himself was thrown away together with his blade, near the edge of the spaceship's deck. His prized Flame Saber had been split in two.  
  
"What..."  
  
"You are but weak, human." Golbez said. And before Vincent could even stand up, he felt a blast of energy hit him and sent him flying, which Vincent knew was away from the deck.  
  
He was falling, and he was going to plummet down on the sea below.  
  
/At least, this is not real./ He thought. /This is just a game.../  
  
He continued to fall, until he felt himself being enveloped in water. He had no energy to try to swim, and he didn't even have energy to even move. He was even unable to feel the pain of Golbez's attack.  
  
Water started to enter through his mouth and nostrils. He knew this was the end.  
  
/At least... I have done something good.../  
  
And he closed his eyes, and waited for the server to automatically revive him, and bring him back to his room in Bastok.  
  
But it never came.  
  
===================================  
  
Okay, so far no additional reviews. I wish someone would view this, please? 


	4. Madan Sari

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
******************************************  
  
Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
******************************************  
  
This fanfic is rated PG-13 for strong language, violence, alcohol and suggestive themes.  
  
******************************************  
  
Madan Sari  
  
The void.  
  
All but emptiness.  
  
Just a swirling black matter, which nothing cold be seen.  
  
Just floating in nothingness.  
  
/Is this... death?/  
  
/Just an eternity of night?/  
  
/I..../  
  
/Am I really dead?/ /No.../  
  
/How...?/  
  
/This is just... a game.../  
  
/Then... why does it feel... so cold...?/  
  
/So cold.../  
  
/Is this... the end.../  
  
/No... it can't be.../  
  
A flash of light.  
  
Ths flash became stronger.  
  
The void... the void was drowned by the light.  
  
Slowly, the darkness was lifted, and the light began to slowly display an image.  
  
A ceiling.  
  
/A ceiling?/  
  
He snapped out of his trance.  
  
He found himself awake.  
  
He had been dreaming. /I'm... I'm alive?/  
  
/But... where is this?/  
  
/This... this is not... my home.../  
  
/Where am I?/  
  
"Oh, you're awake!" A voice, a female's voice, said excitedly.  
  
He looked around his parameters, seeing some sort of well-decorated room. After some time, his eyes found the owner of the voice.  
  
A girl, about his age, was smiling at him, holding a tray of what seemed to be medicinal items: bandages, antiseptic, and creams to disinfect wounds. But, that was not what shocked him. It was the girl.  
  
She had neck-length black hair, and a pair of emerald green eyes which seemed to glisten with the light of a thousand candles. She was wearing a long, flowing white and blue robe that seemed to be lighter than air on her delicate, porcelain skin. She was wearing what seemed to be a tiara, decorated by gemstones of all colors, and from it protruded a small, ivory horn.  
  
"You..." he said. "You're... a... Summoner..."  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah... You must have guessed by my Summoning Crown. Well, Not exactly..." the girl replied with a serene smile. "I'm what you call a White Summoner. I practice calling both the powers of the legendary Ancients, and utilizing the power of White Magic. And you are?"  
  
"Gee... I didn't know that." he replied. "As for me, I am a Myrmidon... a blade expert."  
  
"No, that's not what I meant." The girl said quickly. "I meant... your name..."  
  
"Vincent." he replied. "Vincent Nomura."  
  
"Vincent Nomura?" she repeated. "What a funny name. Are you jesting?"  
  
"No. That's my real name." Vincent answered. "But you can call me Vincent. I suppose you have a better name."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot to introduce myself. How rude." she said. "I am Adriane. Adriane du Mont, of the du Mont monarchial family of Madan Sari."  
  
"Adriane do-what?" Vincent said. "You from the French server or something? And what's Madan Sari?"  
  
"French server?" 'Adriane' asked. "What is a French server?"  
  
"What? You're not from France? Then what country are you logging in from?"  
  
"Country? Oh, you mean my place of origin? I am from here, Madan Sari. And from where might you be?"  
  
"This is all a joke..." Vincent said. He then said in a loud voice, "End Session."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"End Session." he repeated.  
  
Nothing. Just Adriane staring at him.  
  
"What!?" Vincent exclaimed.  
  
/Why?/  
  
/Why can't this game turn off?/  
  
/Unless.../  
  
/This is not a game.../  
  
He remembered how Edwards did not disappear when he died. It seemed... so real...  
  
Is it possible... that the world of 'Final Fantasy', a world that he had known as fictional, is all but reality?  
  
"Vincent? Something the matter?"  
  
Adriane was looking at him, bewildered.  
  
"This... this is not... my world..." Vincent said.  
  
"Your world?"  
  
"Yes... I... belong to another world... the real world... the true world..." Vincent answered her.  
  
"The true world? What do you mean by that?" Adriane asked.  
  
"This world..." Vincent answered. "Is just a..." he stopped. He didn't want to offend her, so he began to rephrase his sentence. "This world... is not where I belong. I... I need to find my world... and the ones... my friends." Yes, it seemed better to say 'friends' rather than 'clan that I was supporting'.  
  
"I need to find the way to Bastok..." he said. But as he stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, which made him fall flat on the bed again.  
  
"Relax for now. You have cuts and wounds all over your body, and a large one across you chest. I'm very surprised you were still able to live." Adriane said, holding his hand. "And don't worry. You're safe here in Madan Sari as our guest."  
  
"Thank you..." Vincent said.  
  
"Would you like something to eat?" Adriane asked.  
  
"Yes... but... Adriane...?"  
  
"You can call me 'Anne'. It's a lot shorter." 'Anne' cut him off.  
  
"Alright. Anne, can I ask you something?" Vincent said.  
  
"Yes, what is it?"  
  
"How... how did I get here?"  
  
"Well," Anne said. "I was playing with Leviathan..."  
  
"Playing... with Leviathan!?" Vincent was shocked. Leviathan was an Ancient, and a very powerful one at that. The Sea Serpent, Vincent was once at the receiving end of Leviathan's Tsunami attack when fought a Summoner at the Tourneys. It was his first defeat.  
  
"Yeah, silly!" Anne answered. "And then we found you. So we brought you here."  
  
"I didn't know you could conjure Leviathan." Vincent told her.  
  
"Conjure?" Anne asked. It then dawned her. "Oh, you mean to say summon its essence to fight in battle? As is, to use its Avatar? Well, yes, I know how to summon Leviathan. But no, it wasn't my work. I was playing with the real Leviathan."  
  
"The 'real' Leviathan?"  
  
"Summoners call on the mere essence of the Ancients, known as the Avatars." Anne explained. "The true Ancients were once scattered all over the world. But then, the Dark Lord enslaved them, destroying many people in the process. After the Beast Men had been driven back, the Ancients chose to be either sealed, or to stay here, in this island, and live in this secluded paradise. Here, we lived with them and studied the ancient magical arts with them. Everything here is self-sufficient. And that, my friend, is the untold true nature of the Avatars, and of the Ancients."  
  
"You mean to say, the other, 'Ancients' as you call them, are here with you?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Yes." Anne replied "This is after all, Madan Sari. The Lost Village of the Summoners."  
  
"The Lost Village of the...!" Vincent remembered Edward's last words. He quickly sat up straight and told Anne while gripping on her shoulders, "Where is your leader!? I need to talk to him! It's important!"  
  
"Ouch, okay! But first, please let go of me." Anne said, a bit irritated. Vincent slowly loosened his grip and relaxed. "Madan Sari's leader, or what we call the Praeter, is my father. What is it you want with him?"  
  
"This..." Vincent took out the crystal necklace from his pocket. It began to glisten and emit a powerful light.  
  
"No... it can't be... the other half..." Anne gasped.  
  
"What is this?" Vincent asked. "And why is it glowing?"  
  
"Please wait here." Anne said. "I shall look for my father."  
  
It was a while before Anne returned. Behind her were three others. One had long white hair, that was coupled with a long white beard and moustache, oak green robes, and was carrying a staff made out of something that reminded Vincent of worn-out wood. The other was a voluptuous maiden whose skin and hair were a shade of light blue, and was wearing some rather revealing clothes. The last one was a man had short, black hair, and was vested in what looked to Vincent like a nobleman during the Roman times, with a Summoning Crown similar to Anne's, but slightly larger, and the horn was made of gold, not ivory.  
  
"Is this the one you are talking about?" The one with the Roman outfit asked.  
  
"Yes, Father." Anne said. "He has the other half... of the Spiritstone."  
  
"Spiritstone?" Vincent asked, standing up. "What is the Spiritstone? And who are you guys?"  
  
"First things first." The old man said. "First of all, we would like to know who you are. As for us, I am the one they call Ramuh."  
  
"Ramuh? The Lightning Avatar?"  
  
"Not quite. As you may have known, Avatars are just mere illusions of us Ancients. Shiva here may have an avatar of herself, but her true Ancient self resides here in Madan Sari." Ramuh explained quietly, as 'Shiva' bowed a bit to Vincent, as if showing courtesy.  
  
"I see..." Vincent said. After he introduced himself, he remembered he did not know the person who had the Summoning Crown like Anne did. "Excuse me, sir, but, who are you?"  
  
"Me? Oh, yes. I am Vinzer du Mont, the Praeter of Madan Sari. I would like to ask you, where did you find that crystal?" he asked, pointing to the crystal necklace in Vincent's hands.  
  
He then narrated to them his failed mission, how Edward died, and how Golbez attacked him.  
  
"So... the heir to San D'oria's throne was killed by this Golbez?" Vinzer asked.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Fate has played its hand, Vinzer." Ramuh said. "You know fully well what it means should the other half of the Spiritstone returns here to Madan Sari. It is time to fulfill that fate."  
  
"Yes... I know what it means. The Great War... shall begin again." Vinzer sighed.  
  
"Great War?"  
  
"The war that tore this planet apart." Shiva replied. "The was against the Beast Men. This world, Terra, is a dying world. This may be the last war to be fought here, before it is gone." "Gone?"  
  
"Everything shall be revealed in due time.." Ramuh answered. "For now, let us take the other half of the Celestial Key, and request Lord Masamune to create it into one unified Spiritstone again. Vinzer, this man will find his abode here for the time being, until he recover from his wounds and is strong enough to venture on his own, yes?"  
  
"Of course, Lord Ramuh." Vinzer answered. "Vincent is your name, right, son? Well, Madan Sari shall temporarily be your home, until you wish to leave, which may be anytime. Is there something you wish to ask before we leave?"  
  
"Yes... is there... a blacksmith in town?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Blacksmith?" Anne asked curiously.  
  
"Um... I sort of lost my gunblade while I was out at sea. Wish to have a new one. I shall pay for it, anyway." Vincent replied.  
  
"What is a gunblade?" Anne asked again.  
  
"You've never heard of a gunblade? It's a sort of broad, single-edged sword that has a handle like a revolver pistol. The gun aspect is used to feed heat into the blade, allowing it to cut through solid steel."  
  
"A gun? What is a gun?" Anne asked for the third time.  
  
"You've never heard of a gun either?" Vincent asked in surprise.  
  
"I'm really sorry, but we are a bit far from either the Vana 'diel or Palamecian mainland." Vinzer replied. "We don't know much about technology, so we don't know any of the modern war weapons you use. What we do have, though, is Lord Masamune, a legend when fashioning blades of all shapes and sizes. I believe he will be more than willing to forge you a weapon."  
  
"And where is this Masamune right now?"  
  
"He resides a few houses away." Anne said. "If you wish, we can visit him later, after we have found you some decent clothing to wear."  
  
"What do you mean.." Vincent then found out why. He was wearing nothing but his pair of torn black pants, and he was naked from the waist up. Well, not actually naked, since most of his upper body was covered in bandages, and when he reached out to feel his head, he found parts of it also covered in bandages.  
  
"Well, I shall take leave of you." Ramuh replied. "I am after all a teacher, and my duty is to educate young boys and girls."  
  
"I shall leave you as well. I have some duties to fulfill also." Shiva said as she glided away after Ramuh.  
  
"Anne, please forgive me, but I need to be in a conference with the Ancients later this afternoon. Can I entrust you to help Vincent out?"  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
And with that, Vinzer left the room.  
  
"Here..." Anne handed Vincent a pair of light brown trousers, a white shirt, a red vest and a pair of sandals. "Wear these... they were my father's when he was my age. I shall meet you outside of this room."  
  
Vinncent thanked her before she left the room. He then put the clothes on(which were a bit baggy, but nonetheless a good fit) and went out of the room.  
  
"Hey, Those are quite the fit, eh?" Anne commented him.  
  
"Well, kind of. Speaking of which, where are we anyway?"  
  
"We are at my house. Lord Masamune's house is a short walk from here. Come, let's go." Anne said as she led the way towards. Vincent looked around at the house, and it looked like something from a 19th century movie. Fireplaces, wooden tables, rugs and some antiques htrown here and there. She then opened a door that led outside of the house and beckoned him to join her..  
  
Vincent looked around for a bit when they were walking. The area would have passed as a rural community that was near the shore, of which they built most of their houses on some good elevations facing the sea.  
  
Most of the houses were also like Anne's: wooden and somewhat concrete framework, of which seemed to convey some strange sort of tranquility. Vincent was thinking absentmindedly when Anne stopped at what looked like a Shinto Shrine from one of his dad's video recordings.  
  
"Hey, Vincent, this is Lord Masamune's house. Hey, before we go inside, I would just ask you to be very polite. Lord Masamune is very old, and he seems to be very sensitive about etiquette."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Lord Masamune? Are you home?" Anne called out.  
  
"Ah, Adriane? Is that you, child? I'm here at the smithy." A voice called out. It had a firm, confident tone to it.  
  
"Here, c'mon, let's go." Anne said as she practically dragged Vincent to a small hut that was at the side of the shrine-like area. The hut looked pretty much like a smith's work area, except this one seemed more like a Japanese smithy rather than the smithy he normally found in Bastok. Inside was an old man roughly 5 feet in height, with features similar to Ramuh's, hammering away at a piece of heated metal, and a boy about 14 years of age, helping the old man.  
  
"Ah, Adriane, you did not tell me you were visiting here today. And who might your friend be?" the old man asked.  
  
"Oh, this is Vincent, Sir Masamune. He's the one we found washed ashore last week. He happend to be a Myrmidon, a blade expert." Anne replied. "Vincent, this is Lord Masamune, one of the greatest smiths this world has ever seen, and that over there is his grandson, Hikoichi." "I'm pleased to meet you both." Vincent said.  
  
"Yes. I am pleased to meet such youth." Masamune replied. "Now, is there anything you wish?"  
  
"Yes, sir." Vincent answered. "I... wish you to please forge me... a weapon."  
  
"Ah, a weapon." Masamune answered. "Yes... I have heard of Myrmidons and their mastery of weapons called gunblades. However, since I have no knowledge of forging a gun, I cannot make such a weapon."  
  
"No, I don't need a gunblade." Vincent said. "The gun aspect I don't care about. I just wish to have a blade."  
  
"And may I ask why you wish to have a blade?" Masamune asked. His eyes seemed to look within Vincent's soul.  
  
"I... I don't know..." Vincent said. "All I know is that I need to get back home. I just need something to help me find the way. I'm sorry if I don't have the money, but I will find another way to pa you back."  
  
"What do you think, Hikoichi?" Masamune asked the boy who was helping him.  
  
"Y... Yes. I think he has virtue enough to hold one of your creations, grandfather." Hikoichi timidly answered.  
  
"Children find it hard to lie." Masamune said with a smile. "Yes, I see it in your eyes that you will not use it to spill innocent blood. Very well, I shall forge you a weapon, under two conditions."  
  
"And they are?" Anne asked.  
  
"First, I want Vincent to teach Hikoichi the ways of a swordsman. Or at least, the basics."  
  
"Me, a swordsman?" Hikoichi asked.  
  
"Yes, grandson. We have to find a way to unleash that potential of yours. Me, I'm not really a swordsman, just a smith. Anyway, will you do it?"  
  
"Yes." Vincent said. "And your other term?"  
  
"Well..." Masamune answered. "Lately, it seems I have used up most of the metals used to forge good weapons. Yes, It seems fitting that I send you to find me some material to forge your weapon."  
  
"And that would be...?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Adamantine."  
  
"Adamantine? From an Adamantoise? But, Sir Masamune, that is..." Anne asked.  
  
"Yes. To create the best weapons, Adamantine is required. There is a cove nearby where there is a large deposit of Adamantine. If you can bring some to me, then I shall be more than capable of forging your desired weapon."  
  
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	5. Adamantine

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
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Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
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This fanfic is rated PG-13 for strong language, violence, alcohol and suggestive themes.  
  
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Adamantine  
  
"There, Long Horn Island." Anne pointed to an island as they were viewing the sea from a cliff. "You can find a cove with a large deposit of Adamantine there, since that island is a breeding area for Adamantoise."  
  
"Um, what is Adamantine anyway?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Um, well, Adamantine is the fossilized shell of an Adamantoise. It's ten times stronger than Mythril, though few people really know how to create Adamantine weapons, since it requires a sacred flame and a special forge to create one." Anne explained.  
  
"And Masamune is one of the few?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Of course." Anne answered. "Sir Masamune came to this island with his grandson about seven years ago, stranded and shipwrecked. We took him in, and he shared with us his gift of weapon forging. Normally, we would have abandoned him, for we wish no contact with the outside world, except for worthy Summoners. But, even if he wasn't a Summoner, we accepted him, because we knew that he had righteousness in his heart."  
  
"Which reminds me," Vincent asked. "Why do you Summoners seclude yourself from the rest of the world?"  
  
"The Ancients." Anne said. "If the fact that the Ancients, a virtually powerful force of Terra, existed was revealed, think of how many governments and organizations will try to grasp that power. It happened once, with the Dark Lord, and it would be best if it would not happen again."  
  
"I understand." Vincent said. "Can I ask two other questions?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Yes, the first." Vincent began. "How are we to get to Long Horn Island? It looks like it's miles from Madan Sari's shore."  
  
"That's no problem." Anne answered. She closed her eyes, and stretched her arms. "Come to me, Sea Guardian, and answer the prayer of the humble host who summons thee."  
  
The horn in her crown began to shine, and when Vincent looked to the sea, he spotted a massive whirlpool spinning underneath the cliff they were standing on. Vincent heard a melodious roaring, and the sky began to dim a bit. At once, something began to rise from the whirlpool, a serpentine body, but it was made of a rising wall of water. It began to take form, and in a flash of light, it had taken the form of a gigantic serpent, with wings like those of a dragon. The serpent drew its whole body upwards, which seemed to be at least about eight miles long, and lowered its head to the level of the cliff. Its eyes focused on Anne, whose horn had stopped shining, and was looking the serpent in the eye.  
  
"YOU SUMMONED ME?" The serpent thundered, which made Vincent jump.  
  
"Levia! I'm sorry, I think you were taking a nap?" Anne asked candidly.  
  
"Levia? Leviathan?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Yes, this is Leviathan." Anne answered. "The ANCIENT Leviathan. The real Leviathan. Not just some illusion created by a Summoner."  
  
"Hmm... so you're the real Leviathan." Vincent said.  
  
"AH, AND YOU BE THE ONE WE RESCUED FROM THE DEEPS?" Leviathan answered. "IT BE THAT YOU ARE A FINE YOUNG WHELP. WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU TODAY, LADY ADRIANE?"  
  
"Um, yeah... Leviathan, this is Vincent. Anyway, can you take us to Long Horn Island? We need to get some Adamantine for Sir Masamune."  
  
"AH, NO PROBLEM AT ALL, LADY ADRIANE. JUST CLIMB UPON MY HEAD ONCE YOU ARE READY."  
  
"Thanks a lot, Levia." Anne said.  
  
"ANYWAY, I DO THINK THAT IT BE TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOUR TO WANDER TO THAT AREA." Leviathan said. "ARE YOU SURE YOU WISH TO GO THERE?"  
  
"Don't worry, Levia." Anne answered. "Vincent here's a sword expert. I think he's more than capable of protecting me. Besides, I'm not a little girl anymore, I'm already 15. I can take care of myself."  
  
"AH, YES." Leviathan said in agreement. "SO, THEN, VINCENT. LADY ADRIANE'S LIFE IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. IF YOU LOSE IT, THEN YOU SHALL DIE SHORTLY AFTER, IF YOU HAVE NOT LOST YOUR LIFE BEFORE."  
  
"Alright." Vincent said with a nod.  
  
"Okay, so Vincent, what's the other question?" Anne asked.  
  
"Yes, um, Anne, I'm a swordsman. A swordsman is useless without a blade in his hands."  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Anne said. "Levia, did you happen to see if there was a sword or a blade that didn't rust out on that sunken liner we were exploring the last time?"  
  
"WHY, YES. I'VE FOUND ONE."  
  
"Can you give it to us for a while? Vincent needs a weapon." Anne asked.  
  
"ONLY IF YOU HELP ME EXPLORE THE TROPICAL ISLANDS SOUTH OF HERE." Leviathan answered.  
  
"Gee, thanks a lot, Leviathan!"  
  
"THE PLEASURE'S ALL MINE, M'LADY." Leviathan answered. At once, a blast of water erupted from the water near Leviathan was hovering above. And, then something was falling from the sky at very quick speed, and it landed in front of Vincent.  
  
"Hmm... a Buster Sword..." Vincent said as he picked up the weapon. It didn't have any decorations or anything special attached to it; just a plain single-edged sword about three and a half feet in length and about one-fourth of a feet in width. In comparison to his old Flame Saber, this was an easier weapon to wield. He swung it around for a test, and he found it quite shabby, but still okay. He threw a stone into the air and slashed. It landed on the ground cut in half. "Not bad."  
  
"Wow, with skill like that, I think I don't have to worry." Anne commented him.  
  
"Thanks..." Vincent said.  
  
"Looks like you're ready then." Anne said. "I think I should change. These garments aren't really for exploration." She took out a small crystalline blue ball and let if float in front of her at her chest's length. In a blink of an eye, she became bathed in blue light, and it looked like her blue and white robes had melted away and she was wearing nothing. Vincent had his eyes with his hands, thinking that Anne would go naked in front of him.  
  
"Hey, what's with you?" He heard Anne say.  
  
When he opened his eyes, he saw Anne wearing what looked like a white ninja gi top, coupled with white shorts, leggings and a pair of Japanese-looking sandals.  
  
"Um, I think I haven't seen anything like that..."  
  
"Um, yeah. It's called a Dress Sphere, which can hold one exchange of clothes. Here in Madan Sari, It's really popular. Sometimes, when you're in a hurry to change your outfits, you can record an exchange of clothes inside a Dress Sphere, and then you can access it anytime, anywhere by summoning its power from inside the Sphere."  
  
"An artifact that lets you change outfits, huh? Women sure know how to use magic and cosmetics." Vincent said.  
  
"Okay, let's go." Anne said as she hopped onto Leviathan's head. "C'mon, Levia won't eat you, you know."  
  
"If it makes you happy... WHOA!!!" Vincent sighed. He jumped onto Leviathan's head and stood at an area next to Anne.  
  
At once, Leviathan flew into the air at a considerably fast speed. Vincent was knocked off his feet and fell flat on his back.  
  
"Hey, I forgot to tell you... stay seated when we're riding Levia." Anne said.  
  
"You should have said that earlier." Vincent said.  
  
"Oh, it's my bad." Anne said. "Anyway, we should be able to get to Long Horn Island in a short while. Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the ride?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever you say." Vincent said.  
  
Anne took a very deep breath and exhaled. "The sea breeze feels really good." She told Vincent. "After some lessons with my mentors, I usually go with Levia here and we'd explore different parts of the ocean. We'd then find things in sunken ships and then bring them back to Madan Sari."  
  
"Must be fun." Vincent said.  
  
"It is." Anne said. "But, you know, I want to know, no I want to see with my own two eyes what's beyond the ocean."  
  
"Beyond the ocean?" Vincent asked. "You mean the mainland?"  
  
"Kind of like that." Anne replied. "Sure, Madan Sari is a great place, but, I want to see the world beyond it. I don't want to just live my whole life in some secluded island. I want to go on exciting adventures, you know, fighting really big dragons and win uncharted lands for your country and all that."  
  
"How did you know all of that?" Vincent asked.  
  
"From the ships we explore. We usually find a lot of things in the sunken vessels- jewels, items from the mainland, stuff like that. I also found this really neat diary that had records of the person's exploits, pictures and whatnot. I've already told Levia about how I want to see the mainland. He agrees with me, but he says I should wait until I'm older."  
  
"YOU ARE STILL TOO YOUNG TO VENTURE ON YOURSELF AFTER ALL." Leviathan answered. "YOU SHOULD WAIT A YEAR OR FIVE."  
  
"I know Levia, but I can't stop myself from thinking about it."  
  
"Take it from me, Anne." Vincent said. "The life in the mainland isn't all adventures and fame. Just look at what happened to me. I'd say I like the life here better."  
  
"Okay, but we'll talk about this later, okay?" Anne said as Leviathan came to a stop in front of a shoreline that had a rock wall with a small cave opening. "We've arrived here at Long Horn Island. Now let's go get that Adamantine and return to Sir Masamune on the double so he can make you a good weapon."  
  
"Alright." Vincent said.  
  
"I'LL BE WAITING HERE. BE CAREFUL AND DON'T BE TOO LONG."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, we hear you." Anne said, a bit annoyed. "Why does Levia keep treating me like a little girl?" she whispered to Vincent as they entered the cave.  
  
"Hey, he's just worried about you. Vincent replied. "Anyway, it's a bit dark in here."  
  
"No worry." Anne said. She then closed her eyes the way she did to call on Leviathan. "Come to me, brilliant creature, and shed crimson light! Carbuncle!"  
  
At once, a small glistening flash appeared in mid-air, and from it jumped out a white, furry, fox-like creature the size of a cat, had ears comparable to that of a rabbit's and had one large, glistening ruby gem on its forehead, which illuminated the cave with a bright red light. It let a soft "uki", ran towards Anne and rubbed against her right leg.  
  
"Carbuncle, eh?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Yes, but only an Avatar. The Ancient Carbuncle has light blue fur and has the gift of speech." Anne said, kneeling down and patting the Avatar's furry head.  
  
"Hmm... I see." Vincent replied. "Anyway, let's go get the Adamantine."  
  
And so, the duo went deeper into the cave, guided by Carbuncle's light. They passed through tunnels and tunnels of solid rock, and for after about some time, they saw a sort of green light emanating from the other side of a tunnel.  
  
"There it is!" Anne said excitedly as she ran towards the green light. Carbuncle followed, but then disappeared in a flash of red light.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Vincent said as he ran after her towards the green light. When they reached the area where the green light was coming from, they were astonished at what it was.  
  
It was a large area, which the ceiling seemed to be hundreds of feet above them, with the whole area itself the size of about two football fields. At the center was a large lake full of clean, clear water, and which from the bottom came the green light. Actually, it came from the green crystalline matter that was found all under the lake's surface. Also, there seemed to be an underwater cave that was at the lake's bottom.  
  
"Oh, so that's how they get in here." Anne said.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The Adamantoise. We're lucky we haven't run into some while going here. They say that Long Horn Island is both a breeding place for Adamantoise, and a turtle burial place as well. That explains why Adamantine, which is from and Adamantoise's shell, is abundant here." Anne said, pointing at the green crystalline matter.  
  
"So that's Adamantine?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Yes, Adamantine ore is like that. But, upon being tempered, it changes color, ranging from deep blue to metallic gray." Anne explained. "C'mon, let's get some of that ore and get out of here."  
  
"You mean... dive underwater?" Vincent asked.  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Okay, so how do we get the Adamantine?"  
  
"Okay, I'll summon Garuda to remove some of the water. After which, you can go and cut down some chunks of Adamantine. Put them in this bag. Just hurry up, since Garuda is a powerful spell, and I'm not really strong enough to keep here there for a long time, okay?" Anne explained, giving him a rather large cloth bag.  
  
"Cut down some chunks? Isn't Adamantine supposed to be very hard?"  
  
"Yes, but, if you cut down at the base, at the soft rock under the crystals, it should be easy to do. So, ready?"  
  
"As if I have another choice." Vincent said.  
  
"Okay..." Her horn began to shine, and she said in a firm voice, "Come to me, Queen of the Air, and gather the power of the Wind Sylphs! Garuda!" A flash of green light, a shade lighter than that of the Adamantine, began to hover above the lake. At once, a being with the appearance of a woman, but with the head, body feathers, talons and wings like that of an eagle stepped out from the light.  
  
"Garuda, can you use your abilities to suspend the water a bit while Vincent gets some of the Adamantine?" Anne called out to the figure.  
  
Garuda nodded, and flew upward. At once, a large tornado began to cause the water to rise. The tornado rose upward, and when it had carried the water to the ceiling of the cave, The more shallow parts of the lake had become dry land, exposing the green crystals.  
  
"Okay, Vincent. You can get the Adamantine there now."  
  
Vincent jumped down to the shallow parts, and used the Buster Sword to 'uproot' some of the green crystals that were there. After a short while, Vincent had gathered a considerable amount, and the bag was full. "Anne, I think I've got enough. How are you holding up?"  
  
"Fine." he heard Anne say. "I'm just fine. Now hurry up and let's get out of here."  
  
Vincent slung the bag over his right shoulder and began to climb up. Upon reaching the top, he was greeted by Anne, who immediately dismissed Garuda. She then sat down, gasping for breath as if she had run a few miles in a few minutes.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" Vincent said, rushing to her side.  
  
"H-hey, , you took too long, you know. Garuda's really hard to summon." Anne said between breaths.  
  
"Take it easy, wasting too much effort isn't really good for anyone. We'll rest here for a while before we return to Madan Sari, okay?" Vincent told her.  
  
"Wow... I didn't take you sensitive type."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Anyway, we got the Adamantine, so Sir Masamune can make you that weapon, huh?" Anne said.  
  
"Yes. I hope this will be enough." Vincent said.  
  
"Hey, don't worry. That will be more than enough. I just know it."  
  
"Okay, so you feeling better?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Yeah. Come on, let's get out of this place." Anne said, standing up.  
  
No sooner had Anne spoke those words, they heard a low growl, and they felt something... big, was behind them. They looked behind to see what it is.  
  
Behind them was a large creature resembling a sea turtle, but only if a sea turtle was about ten feet tall, and looks as if it weighs a ton. It had rows of razor-sharp teeth in its large jaws, and had a shell that was somewhat green and black, and had some specks of emerald green material all over the shell. It was leering on them both, and then emitted a high- pitched roar.  
  
"A... An Adamantoise..." Anne said, scanning the beast.  
  
"It's blocking the exit." Vincent pointed out. The Adamanoise was between them and the way from where they came from.  
  
"So... what do we do?" Anne asked weakly.  
  
"We'll have to beat it to pass..." Vincent said, brandishing the Buster Sword.  
  
"But, isn't there any other way?" Anne said.  
  
"Yeah... two." Vincent said and he ran towards the Adamantoise. "You can swim through that cave underneath the lake, or two, you can be turtle food."  
  
"Yikes... I guess no other, huh?" Anne said.  
  
"You're right." Vincent then slashed at the Adamantoise, who just absorbed the hit. Vincent jumped backward in surprise. "It didn't even graze it?"  
  
Trying another attack maneuver, he dashed quickly and appeared a few feet above the beast. "BRAVER!" he shouted as he brought down a vertical slash. But, it didn't hurt the monster. In fact, it looked like the attack just made it angrier. "What!?"  
  
"Hey, that's not the way!" Anne shouted out. "If you want to beat an Adamantoise, you must know how to cast Lightning spells."  
  
"I know." Vincent said quietly. "But I don't know any magic spell."  
  
"Don't worry. I've got that part covered." Her horn began to glow again. "Come to me, brilliant sage, and rain down thine Bolt of Judgment! Ramuh!"  
  
A flash of electric blue light, and Ramuh appeared, although he was wearing dark blue robes instead of the oak green ones Vincent had seen earlier on. Ramuh then threw his staff onto the ground, and it shot out lightning bolts that simultaneously hit the Adamantoise.  
  
"Yes!" Anne cried out in triumph. But, it was too early to celebrate. When the dust cleared, they saw the Adamantoise had hidden in its shell to prevent itself from being shocked. It then reappeared, and then started to shake its forelimbs vigorously.  
  
"Uh-oh, it's going to use Sand Storm." Anne said. "Better run."  
  
And the duo dodged behind a large rock. After a few moments, they felt a strong gust, and dust particles and rocks began to fly at random. Good thing they were protected by the rock, else they would have either been carried away by the wind, or get hit and knocked out by one of the larger boulders.  
  
"I don't believe it." Anne said as the wind was slowly dying down. "That turtle should have been fried. Ramuh makes short work of those."  
  
"That's an example of a really strong monster." Vincent said. "You can't just expect them all to just take a shot like that lying down. If you want to defeat an enemy, you'll have to figure out its weaknesses and plan out a strategy to bring it down."  
  
"Hmmm... I've still got a lot to learn about fighting..." Anne said.  
  
"Don't worry. You'll learn fast from experience." Vincent said. "As for now, we'll need to find a way to hit that foe with a Lightning attack from the inside. We can't make it crawl out of its shell, so we have to find a way to make lightning hit it from the inside."  
  
"But, how?" Anne asked. "The shell's hard, and I don't think we can pierce through it..."  
  
"Pierce, huh?" Vincent said. "... THAT'S IT!!! Anne, you're a genius!"  
  
"Huh?" Anne asked baffled.  
  
"Just stay behind this rock until I give you the signal, okay?"  
  
"Alright... HEY!" Anne said as Vincent ran off. "What are going to do?"  
  
"Just wait." Vincent said. He ran towards the Adamantoise, and just a few feet in front of it, he quickly dashed to the left side. When the Adamantoise faced there, he quickly jumped backwards, and ran to the right. The Adamantoise was not moving, but it was constantly facing different directions because of Vincent's movements.  
  
"A... Amazing..." Anne said as he saw Vincent running and jumping around, constantly evading the Adamantoise's attacks.  
  
Finally, the Adamantoise got impatient, and started to motion for another Sand Storm. Seeing this as his cue, Vincent jumped towards the wall, using the rock formations on the wall to move up higher. When he found a good elevation, he closed his eyes, and began to concentrate his energy on his sword. The Buster Sword glowed red, and began to emit light of the same color.  
  
He then dived downward, his sword aimed down. The Adamantoise was too slow to move away. Vincent's dive impaled the sword into the Adamantoise's back, and from which he juped away, unarmed, and began to run towards the area where Anne was hiding.  
  
The Adamantoise, driven berserk by the searing pain on its back, began to thrash around in a blind rage.  
  
"Now, Anne, cast Ramuh!" Vincent shouted out. "Aim for the sword! Aim for the sword!"  
  
"Huh? Oh! Now I get it!" Anne cried in excitement. Her horn shone, and after mumbling a few words, Ramuh once again came in the same flash of electric blue. "Attack the sword on the Adamantoise's back!"  
  
Ramuh once again threw his staff towards the ground, and once again, It shot out powerful bolts of electricity. But this time, it was not for naught. The sword conducted the electricity past the hard shell, and into the insides of the Adamantoise. The force of Ramuh's lightning was so strong that it had cracked and broken the sword it was conducted from. What soon followed were loud, high-pitched shrieks , which was finally ended by a loud THUD when the Adamantoise fell limp on the cave floor.  
  
"Wow..." Anne said.  
  
"We make a good team..." Vincent added.  
  
"Yeah... too bad the sword broke."  
  
"Now let's get out of here." Vincent said, slinging the bag once again. "We need to take this t Masamune."  
  
====================================  
  
"Hmmm... so, I take it you have the Adamantine?"  
  
"Yes..." Vincent said as he lay the bag in front of Masamune. "Hopefully, this will enough."  
  
"Hmmm... oh ho!" Masamune exclaimed as he saw the contents. "You kids have brought me enough Adamantine for about THREE swords!"  
  
"So, does that mean you'll make me a weapon now?"  
  
"Hmm... of course. Now, anything else?" Masamune said.  
  
"Yes..." Anne said as she took out a small bag. "Sir Masamune, here are the two halves of the Spiritstone, the Mind and the Body Ceffyls. The time has come for them to become one again."  
  
"I see..." Masamune said. "Alright, I'll be working first on Vincent's weapon, and then I'll get to that. Well, then, off you two go, night is falling."  
  
"Yes, sir." Anne said as she and Vincent turned to leave.  
  
"Hey, one last thing." Masamune said. "Catch!" He threw a wooden sword towards Vincent's direction.  
  
"Huh? What's this?" Vincent asked as he caught the wooden blade.  
  
"The other half of our agreement." Masamune answered. "You are to train Hikoichi. You will start tomorrow."  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
Me: Mwaaaahhhh... That's it, another chapter. Now I'm going back to sleep... ZZZZZZZZZ 


	6. The Card Of Doom

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
******************************************  
  
Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
******************************************  
  
This fanfic is rated PG-13 for strong language, violence, alcohol and suggestive themes.  
  
******************************************  
  
The Card of Doom  
  
"You are getting better, Hikoichi." Vincent remarked after a day of rigorous training. "You're a natural. When time comes, you'll be a better Myrmidon than I am."  
  
"Thank you, Master." Hikoichi answered. "But, I am nothing without your guiding."  
  
It had been two weeks or so since Vincent and Anne had returned from their Adamantine quest. For each day of the first week that had passed, Vincent was teaching Hikoichi the basics of using a sword. Surprisingly, the boy learns very fast, and by the second week, they had moved on to a Myrmidon's basic techniques.  
  
"I told you to stop calling me 'Master'. I'm just like you, an apprentice." Vincent said. "Anyway, I want you to rest for now. We'll resume this in the morning."  
  
"When are we going to learn about the secret techniques?" Hikoichi asked.  
  
"Don't rush." Vincent said. "We'll get to that in due time. As for now, I want you to practice and master the Six Root Attacks, okay?"  
  
"Just a question, Master Vincent. Why are they called the 'Six Root Attacks'?"  
  
"That's a good question." Vincent answered. "The six techniques I have taught you: Braver, Rough Divide, Spiral Cut, Cross Slash, Sonic Thrust, and Blade Beam, they are called the Six Roots because all of the advanced techniques of a Myrmidon are either a more powerful aspect of one of the Six Roots, or is a combination of any or all six of them. Example, Climhazzard, the move you just practiced, is a more powerful version of Rough Divide."  
  
"Wow." Hikoichi said. "Okay, thanks Master. Oh, yeah! Grandfather asked me if you could join us for dinner today."  
  
"Why not?" Vincent said. Everyone was very hospitable to him in Madan Sari, even though he was there only for a short period of time. The children would invite him to their games, as the young men would ask him for advice on combat, as well as his hand in hunting for game. Vincent was quite surprised at how this small community of less than 100 members was able to live harmoniously with nature, and the Ancients.  
  
"Thanks a lot Master." Hikoichi said gleefully as they walked towards Masamune's temple-house. "You know, Grandfather is very happy nowadays that I am training to be a fighter. He said that once I have come of age, he will make me a sword that will be almost impossible to break!"  
  
"An unbreakable sword?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Yup! Ever since we started to journey together, Grandfather had always been looking for the metal that could make an unbreakable sword. Even though Adamantine is strong, it still can be broken. Grandfather is looking for something to aid the Adamantine so it can be stronger."  
  
"I see." Vincent said. "So, what are you having for dinner today?"  
  
"I dunno." Hikoichi replied. "But, if it's Grandfather, it's probably grilled fish and rice. Bleah..." Hikoichi made a face and pretended to vomit.  
  
"Hey, don't do that." Vincent said. "Fish and rice are good for your health."  
  
"You SHOULD try the food Grandfather cooks." Hikoichi said. "He may be a good swordsmith, but sometimes, burned wood is better than his cooking."  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
"Seriously... oh, looks like we're here." Hikoichi said as they reached Masamune's gate. "Grandfather, we're here!" Hikoichi called out as they both got inside the Masamune residence.  
  
"Oh, Hikoichi, welcome home." Masamune called out. "If Vincent is with you, can you bring him here at the living room?"  
  
"Yeah." Hikoichi led Vincent to a wide room that was open on one side, and was next to a Japanese-looking garden, complete with a small stream and a wooden bridge over it. In the center of the roofed area was Masamune seated cross-legged on the floor.  
  
"Vincent, thank you for accepting our invitation." Masamune said.  
  
"Hey, no need sir." Vincent said, as he and Hikoichi sat in front of him. "I still owe you all a lot for letting me live in this area."  
  
"You have to thank Vinzer for that." Masamune said. "By the way, do you have an intention of leaving sometime soon?"  
  
"Well, I never gave it too much thought at the moment, but I need to look for the other who were also brought here." Vincent replied. "I really don't know how to get back, but I need to find a way. I think if I can find a way back to Bastok I can find some answers there."  
  
"I would be lying if I say I'm not impressed by your will, Vincent." Masamune said, closing his eyes and smiling. "Anyway, I asked you to come here because I need you to give something to Vinzer."  
  
"To Praeter Vinzer?"  
  
"I'm a bit too busy nowadays, so I can't give this to him personally. I have completed joining together the two parts of the Spiritstone more than four days ago. I don't know why they need it, though." Masamnue said as he handed Vincent a small bag. When he opened it, Vincent found a glittering stone, which shone light blue for a moment, and then to green, and then to yellow, to orange, to blood red, then to a dark shade of blue, and then to light blue again.  
  
"That's the Spiritstone. If I remember right, it's a key to open certain seals found in Terra. According to the legend, this stone will open three seals, and beyond each seal is great power."  
  
"Great power?" Hikoichi asked.  
  
"I remember my father telling me about the powerful forces they used to defeat the Dark Lord 'Chaos'." Masamune answered. "I think one is found somewhere in the Vana 'diel continent, sealed in a tower in the middle of a magical forest. After sealing the three seals, the Ancients broke the Spiritstone in two, kept one here in Madan Sari, and gave the other to San D'oria."  
  
"Hmm... could it be a weapon?" said.  
  
"I don't know." Masamune shook his head. "Nobody knows what inside there, except for the Ancients. In fact, people believe it as a legend nowadays, since the said tower and the forest do not exist. "  
  
"But the Spiritstone..."  
  
"The Spiritstone has not been seen in Vana 'diel for more than 350 years." Masamune said quietly. "I'd bet we are the only ones who totally believe its exisence. Anyway, enough about that. Shall we eat?"  
  
========================================  
  
"Well, I have to get going now..." Vincent said as he stood outside the gate of Masamune's abode. "Thank you for the meal."  
  
"No problem, Vincent. Oh, and I forgot to give you this..." Masamune gave him a slender object that was wrapped in cloth, and seemed to be very light. "That is the weapon you had wanted me to make for you. Why don't you see if it fits you?"  
  
Vincent removed the cloth to reveal a sheathed blade about three feet in length, and a quarter of a foot in width. Judging by the sheath, the blade was single-edged, with a handle similar to that of a katana. When he pulled it out of the sheath, he was amazed to see it was colored a pale gray, and along its width there was something written in a calligraphy he couldn't understand. He tested its swing, and it was unbelievably light.  
  
"Sir, thank you..."  
  
"Haha, I like you, kid. That's why did my best to give you a very good blade." Masamune said with pride. "I call it the Zanmato, the sword of hope."  
  
"Sword of hope?" Vincent asked.  
  
"'Zanmato' means 'Demon Cutting Edge'. A blade used to slay evil." Masamune replied. "In its blade I have inscribed the words of Justice, Strength, Chivalry, and Purity. Those are said to be the traits of each of the Four Light Warriors."  
  
"The Light Warriors?"  
  
"There is a legend," Masamune said, "that one day, the Son of Terra, who is supposed to be the hope of the people, shall herald the return of the Dark Lord Chaos. The winds shall die, the sea shall rage, and the earth shall decay. But, the Son of Gaea, along with the Four Warriors of Light bearing the power of the Crystals, shall defeat Chaos once and for all, and shall renew Terra."  
  
"And what are the Sons of Gaea and Terra?"  
  
"When the Great Hyne created this world we live in, He created two worlds in one: The Gaea, which is the inner plane, and the Terra, which is the outer plane. We live here in Terra. The Gaea is sort of place where those who have passed away go to, but some say it's a world like Terra. After the creation, Hyne made a part of His power linger on humanity: the power of hope. It is said that in every generation, this power chooses a worthy being, and instills on them the strength to shape the world into a better future. The person who is blessed by Hyne's power is called the Son of Terra. Gaea shares the same power of hope, and they say that once the Son of Terra fails, the Son of Gaea will cross to this plane of existence together with the four Light Warriors, and fight Terra's battle."  
  
"Wow, Grandfather knows a lot..." Hikoichi bumped in. "I read a lot of books." Masamune said.  
  
"But, why did you give me a blade that is supposed to represent hope? I'm not Terra' Son."  
  
"I know you're not. But your eyes remind me of much hope. You are quite a strong young man, Vincent. I believe that the San D'oria might be invading Bastok and Windurst as we speak. I want you to be there and be a light for them. That sword shall help you in becoming that light."  
  
"Well, I'd best be going. Thanks for the food, the tale, and the blade, Sir Masamune." Vincent said as he walked off. "And I'll see you in the morning Hikoichi."  
  
"You betcha, Master!" Hikoichi and Masamune waved him goodbye.  
  
"Zanmato..." Vincent said as he examined the blade while walking to Anne's home. The blade glistened in the moonlight, with the inscriptions flashing in a golden gleam.  
  
/The Sword of Hope.../  
  
/A masterpiece.../  
  
He raised in up into the air and brought it down fiercely. A rock about his size that was in front of the direction he slashed was cleaved clean vertically. Vincent sheathed the blade and smiled.  
  
/I like it./  
  
Afterwards, he continued to walk and eventually reached the du Mont house, where he was greeted by Anne in high spirits.  
  
"Hey, Anne. Guess what Sir Masamune gave me today."  
  
===================================  
  
"This is the Spiritstone... hmmm... such power..." Vinzer said as he fumbled with the rainbow-colored crystal. "Sir Masamune has indeed outdone himself this time."  
  
"Kind of." Vincent said, as Anne as amusing herself with examining the Zanmato in the room adjoining the one they were on.  
  
"Vincent, there is a favor I would like to ask you." Vinzer asked. "I have been contemplating about this for some time now, and have asked the Council of Ancients about it."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Vincent, Destiny blows a strange wind your way." Vinzer said. "But, 'tis a good wind. With the unification of the Spiritstone, I am pretty sure the ones who invaded the Elvaan throne will most likely look for it here in Madan Sari. I would appreciate it... if you could take the Spiritstone, and journey to the mainland. 'Tis not safe with us here. Should the foes attack, you should also save my dear daughter Adriane."  
  
"I see..." Vincent said. "But, surely, you don't want any other to do it?"  
  
"I have great faith in you, Vincent." Vinzer answered in a voice near to a whisper. "They will most likely come here t look for the power of the Ancients. War is coming once more, and it is not against the Beast Men. Palamecia will not rest until it gains much power. We have prepared a small boat filled with supplies in a small cove near. I pray you leave within this week, for the safety of all who live in Vana 'diel."  
  
"I... understand..." Vincent said. "But, does Anne know about this?"  
  
"She knows and wishes for the day to come when I will have to send her to the mainland." Vinzer replied.  
  
"Well, if that is the case..."  
  
"Um, father, can I have a moment with Vincent?" Anne said. She had approached them and was carrying a small box of some sort.  
  
"Yes. I will rest in my quarters. Vincent, Anne, do not stay up late. You will have a big day tomorrow." Vinzer said as he left.  
  
"Yeah? What do you need?"  
  
"Here..." Anne gave hi the small box. "It's a gift from my friends."  
  
Vincent nodded and opened the box. Inside was a shimmering red sphere. It looked like a...  
  
"Dress Sphere..." Vincent said.  
  
"Yup." Anne answered. "The girls thought you'd like a clean exchange of clothes before we travel, so they tailored one for you."  
  
"So, when they were irking around me that time was..."  
  
"To measure you, of course. We can't make you clothes without knowing your body size."  
  
Vincent was silent.  
  
"So? Go ahead and try it on!" Anne pressed him.  
  
"Alright." Vincent sighed. "So, how does this work?"  
  
"Simple! You just apply pressure to it until it starts to glow brighter, and then just let it float in front of you."  
  
"If you say so..." Vincent said. He squeezed the sphere in his hand. The red glow began to intensify. When he released it from his grip, the sphere floated in front of him at chest level, and in a flash, it melted into light flashes which engulfed him. At once, he felt his clothes leaving his body for some reason, and felt the air around him becoming a bit heavy. The air soon began to wrap around his body, and when he looked at his arms, he saw some material forming around them.  
  
When the light dissipated, he found himself wearing a new set of clothes. It was a black shirt inside, which was hidden by a red turtlenecked overcoat that stretched down to his ankles and was held at the waist by a leather belt, and which partially concealed his black trousers. He was wearing a set of black leather gloves, and his feet encased in boots made of some tough material.  
  
"A... Amazing..." Vincent gasped, examining the garments.  
  
"Tee-hee, I'm happy you like them." Anne said. "Took us a good week to finish that ensemble off, which we copied off a page of the journal I picked up at one of the sunken ships."  
  
"Heh, you guys shouldn't have bothered." Vincent said. "So, how do I take this thing off?"  
  
"Simple! You just think of it being taken off your body and it'll eventually disappear." Anne said. "Just think of the clothes you were wearing a while ago!"  
  
"If you say so..." Vincent closed his eyes and thought of what he was wearing before: a white shirt torn at the sleeves, along with a pair of light blue slacks and some sandals.  
  
As he was thinking, he felt the same light feeling, as if his clothes were melting away. Soon enough, when he had opened his eyes, he found himself wearing his normal clothes, and the red sphere hovering in front of him at chest's level.  
  
"Hmm... a Dress Sphere..." Vincent said, taking the small red sphere into his right hand. "Thanks for this gift."  
  
"Hey, don't mention it!" Anne cheered up. "Okay, we should get some sleep. Anyway, when will we leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow." Vincent answered.  
  
"Tomorrow? But isn't that a bit to soon?"  
  
"The more we stay, the more we put your people in jeopardy." Vincent answered. "Stay if you wish, but I'll have to go."  
  
"Then, I guess I'll have to bid farewell..." Anne said. "I shall see you in the morning, Vincent."  
  
And with that, she left in complete silence.  
  
Vincnet followed suit, proceeding to his room. There, he set Zanmato and the Dress Sphere on his bedside table, and fell asleep shortly...  
  
=============================  
  
Which was shortly stopped by a rattling explosion.  
  
Vincent jumped up to his feet, and glanced through the window. There he saw red. Fire in each corner, and screams of women and children filled the air.  
  
"What the...?!" Vincent was cut short when his door burst open, and Vinzer appeared, dressed in robes, having the look of both alert and fear in his face.  
  
"Lord Vinzer, what happened?" Vincent asked.  
  
"They've come for the Spiritstone..." Vinzer replied. "The San D'orian fleet, which is under the command of Golbez..."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Vincent, we must flee. I shall lead you to the cove where the boat is docked. Take my daughter and Sir Masamune's son with you."  
  
"What about..."  
  
"We will draw their attention. Here, take the Spiritstone with you..." Vinzer handed him a small glittering gem.  
  
"But, you might die... The Elvaan force..."  
  
"I am fully aware of that." Vinzer replied. "But, it's important that they don't get their hands on the Spiritstone. If they do, then nothing can stop them. Vincent, promise me that you will find the seals of the Spiritstone, unlock the power and use it to defeat both Palamecia and San D'oria."  
  
"Y-yes..."  
  
"Enough words..." Vinzer said. "Come, let us flee!"  
  
After grabbing his Dress Sphere and fastening Zanmato under his belt, Vinzer and Vincent disappear in the shadows.  
  
===============================  
  
"Father..." Anne sobbed as she hugged Vinzer.  
  
"Weep not for me, my daughter..." Vinzer said as he held on to Anne. "You must be strong. After this, you must help Vincent search for the seals. Do it for Terra..."  
  
"Hikochi, you are a man now." Masamune told his grandson. "Protect Lady Adriane with this sword." He handed him a blade wrapped in cloth. "It was your father's. He would be very pleased in the plains of the afterlife knowing that his son will use his beloved sword to protect."  
  
"Y-Yes, grandfather, I will not fail!" Hikoichi said with determination, trying his best to hold back the tears.  
  
"Vincent, everything rests on you. Please do not fail us." Vinzer said. "We will hold them back, so please try to leave now."  
  
The boat was a small yacht, which had small area which provided some shelter. There was also a storage area where there was supplies enough for a few weeks.  
  
"Yes..." Vincent looked on, and as Vinzer and Masamune left the boat, he began to set the sails and fins to move.  
  
Vincent, Anne and Hikoichi looked on sadly as the island of Madan Sari lit up that night in a gigantic fireball. High above them was a fleet of airships, with the Dreadnought looming in the lead. In the background, they could hear the screams of dying people, the clash and firing of weapons, and the crackling of magic.  
  
Anne fell to her knees as she sobbed miserably, and Hikoichi was failing in comforting her.  
  
Vincent's heart was filled with fire. In his hand he gripped the Spiritstone, and clenched his other fist.  
  
"GOLBEZ, BY MY HAND AND MY BLADE, ZANMATO, YOU SHALL DIE!!!"  
  
==============================  
  
Thunder.  
  
Rain.  
  
A Strong Wind.  
  
A Storm at sea.  
  
The wind and the waters tossed the boat asunder.  
  
Vincent had asked Anne and Hikoichi to stay inside the sheltered part of the boat. He, on the other hand, had tried to keep the boat intact. The main mast had broken, and the fins were also torn.  
  
"Damn, at this point, we'll never reach the mainland." Vincent thought out loud as he moved around the ship frantically to minimize the damage. But, to no avail. It was a battle that was to be lost.  
  
"Master Vincent! Master Vincent!" Hikoichi was running on the slippery deck to help Vincent.  
  
"Hikoichi, no! Stay inside with Anne!" Vincent shouted, but it was too late.  
  
The strong winds rocked the ship, and Hikoichi was knocked down. The water raged, and in one sweep, it threw Hikoichi out of the ship and into the raging sea.  
  
"Master, HELP!!!" Hikoichi cried out to him. The sea was separating them further apart, and he knew there was nothing he could do...  
  
"MASTER!!! HELP ME!!!" Hikoichi cried again. However, another large wave came up, and he disappeared behind it.  
  
"HIKOICHI!!!" Vincent cried. He was gone.  
  
"NO!!!" He heard Anne cry out.  
  
But, he had no time to weep.  
  
Another wave came, bigger than the last one.  
  
And it enveloped him, Anne and the boat in a watery tomb.  
  
/NO! Not this again.../  
  
He felt the massive volumes of water swirl around him, and the embrace suffocating him.  
  
He didn't bother looking for Anne.  
  
He was too weak to.  
  
This time, he will be not so lucky.  
  
He closed his eyes, and waited for Death's Kiss.  
  
/Forgive me, Lord Vinzer, Sir Masamune.../  
  
/It seems I wasn't the hope.../  
  
=========================  
  
"Mmmmmm..." Vincent heard himself groan.  
  
He was staring at a wooden ceiling.  
  
"I'm... alive?"  
  
"Oh, Vincent! You're awake!"  
  
Vincent knew that voice he looked around until his eyes focused on the source of the voice.  
  
"Sarah?"  
  
====================  
  
Well, there you go...  
  
Sorry if it is written in a very jumbled and fast pace. I just wanted to end thses events as soon as possible.  
  
Anyway, thank you for reading.... 


	7. The Tower of Ages

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
******************************************  
  
Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
******************************************  
  
This fanfic is rated PG-13 for strong language, violence, alcohol and suggestive themes.  
  
******************************************  
  
The Tower of Ages  
  
"Sarah...?" Vincent repeated, sitting up and shaking his head. "W-where am I?"  
  
"You're aboard the Blue Narciss, a merchant ship. We're currently sailing across the Sea of Alfheim." Sarah replied. She wasn't wearing her normal White Mage robes. She had a white sleeveless top, which had a hood, but wasn't pulled over her head, a pair of jeans and a pair of rubber shoes. These were accentuated by a pair of white gloves decorated with lace, and a band on her upper left arm that had a pair of white feathers attached to it. She also had a necklace which had a blue gemstone shaped into some sort of teardrop hanging from it, which was about one and a half inches in diameter. "We found you floating on a piece of wooden debris, supposedly from the wreckage of a ship that was ravaged by the storm. Thank goodness you were alive. Anyway, we found you, and that girl." Sarah pointed to a body that was laid on the bed nest to his.  
  
He looked around, and saw Zanmato on his bedside table, along with the Dress Sphere. When he looked at the other bed, he saw a tiara of some sort on the table, and he knew who was the person.  
  
"Anne?"  
  
"Hmm... you know her, Vince?" Sarah asked him.  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"Still asleep, but she's alive. Is she a friend of yours?"  
  
"Yes. She took care of me." Vincent said. "We were escaping from Golbez when the storm caught us..."  
  
"Golbez..." Sarah said through gritted teeth. "While you were gone, Golbez had begun to extend San D'oria's property. Half of the two continents which make up Vana' diel are now under his control."  
  
"What!?" Vincent said, shocked. "But, what about..."  
  
"Bastok and Windurst were taken by surprise by the attack." Sarah said calmly. "They were not expecting such a large airfleet. Thus, many villages were burned down, may cities taken, and many citizens became either homeless, enslaved, or lucky enough to just die."  
  
Vincent just thought in silence. Until, he began to speak.  
  
"Damn! Why is he doing all this?"  
  
"I don't know." Sarah said. "But, one thing's for sure, he's got all of San D'oria and Palamecia's might behind him, so everyone's afraid of him."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"Anyway, Gene and I were happy to see you're alive. We thought you had... on the Dreadnought..." She said with teary eyes.  
  
"Hey, relax." Vincent said. Sarah nodded and sat down on the bed he was in. "Anyway, do you know where we are?"  
  
"Um, if you mean this world, I thought it would have been obvious." Sarah answered, wiping away her tears. "By some miracle, we're inside 'Final Fantasy'! At first, I thought this was a freaky dream, but you'd wake up from a dream after pinching yourself, right? I didn't. That could only mean I'm really here..."  
  
"So, do you know how to get back to our world?"  
  
"I don't know." Sarah said, shaking her head. "I didn't give it too much thought. Neither did Gene."  
  
"Hey, which reminds me, how did you guys fare?"  
  
"Well," Sarah said, "when we used the airship to flee, we were pursued by Viltgances."  
  
"Viltgances?"  
  
"Viltgance are is new type of airship created by the Palamecians. It's very fast, and carries a lot of firepower." Sarah explained. "Anyway, they were going to get to us when Ulrich had an idea. He sent us on escape pods while he and Rufus drew fire. When I woke up, I found myself lying on the some kind of shoreline, and my big brother was unconscious near me. I also found this crystal thing around my neck when I woke up. Mine's a blue-colored one, while Gene also had a green-colored gem hanging from his neck when we came to." She said, showing him her necklace.  
  
"And Cliff and Ryan?"  
  
"I don't know. They managed to escape, but we can't find them anywhere." Sarah said. "Anyway, Looks like you've rested. Do you want to talk to the captian?"  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"I'll be waiting for you outside the door, then." Sarah said as she left the room and shut the door behind her.  
  
Vincent slowly stood up and picked up his Dress Sphere. He found himself still wearing the clothes he had on when the storm hit. He quickly changed to the clothes inside the Sphere, picked up Zanmato, and headed for the door. But, before that, he walked up to Anne's bedside.  
  
/Hmm... she's still asleep.../  
  
/Never mind.../  
  
/I'll just talk to her when she wakes up./  
  
After fixing his overcoat a bit, he opened the door and had himself be led by Sarah to the captain.  
  
=========================  
  
"I'm quite happy you're alive..." Gene said. "We thought you've kicked the bucket when you tried to help us escape."  
  
Apparently, Sarah wasn't the only one who changed her appearance. Gene was now wearing a sort long-sleeved turtlenecked dark blue polo shirt and slacks of the same color. He had a black sash around his waist, and was wearing a flowing cloak that was black in the exterior, and a shade of purple in the interior. He was no longer wearing his Black Mage hat, which seemed to have been replaced by a monocle over his right eye. Around his neck was a green-colored gemstone, which was in the shape of a leaf.  
  
"Yeah, I'm alive. Thanks to that girl who's with me." Vincent said. "She found me and took care of me. But, Golbez also got to us. She's the only remaining survivor of her village."  
  
"I see.." Gene said. "Anyway, I would like you to meet this ship's captain, and our client for the time being. This is Lord Verle. When we were looking for food and shelter, he was there to help. We're now his mercenaries, so to say."  
  
Gene was referring to a squat little Tarutaru sitting across the small table from Vincent. He seemed to look like a bard, but Vincent doesn't know.  
  
"I'm... pleased to meet you?"  
  
"Ah! Yes, Vincent, is it?" The Tarutaru squeaked. "I've heard much about you from Gene and Sarah, about your prowess as a Myrmidon. Please, feel free to be a member of the Blue Narciss crew."  
  
"Thank you... and thank you also for helping Gene and Sarah..."  
  
"Oh, yeah! Um, Master Verle, any progress about our search for the Tower?" Sarah asked. She was seated opposite of Gene.  
  
"Oh, that..." Verle answered. "As of now, we have no leads as to the exact location of the Tower. Most people find it fictional nowadays, I'm afraid."  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Oh, we forgot to tell you..." Gene answered. "The reason that we are in the middle of the Alfheim Sea is that we are looking for the Tower of Mysidia."  
  
"And what is this tower?"  
  
"Are you sure it is fine to communicate this to him?" Verle asked Gene.  
  
"Don't fear, master." Gene answered. "He's one of us. Anyway, Vincent, the Mysidian Tower is a very sacred tower built after the defeat of the Dark Lord 'Chaos'. According to the history of Terra, the Twelve Sages conjured a powerful spell to seal the darkness. They called this spell Ultima, the wrath of eternity. It is said that they recorded the spell in an ancient tome, and sealed in the Tower of Mysidia. They say that the tower is being protected by a magical forest, which creates mazes to render those who seek the spell lost. Right now, we are looking for a certain village where we believe they know how to find the Tower."  
  
"A... magical forest...?" Something was stirring up in Vincent's memory.  
  
"Yes." Gene answered. "It's also not easy to get in the tower itself. They say that you need a... a... Something-stone to get in..."  
  
"A Spiritstone, perhaps?"  
  
Gene's eyes widened. "WHAT!? How did you know..."  
  
"And the village you are looking for is Madan Sari?"  
  
"Why... yes..." Sarah said.  
  
"I'm sorry... but Madan Sari is no more..." Vincent said bitterly.  
  
"What do you mean...?" Verle asked.  
  
Vincent told them his experiences with the Summoners, the Ancients and Madan Sari.  
  
"... In the end, Golbez attacked Madan Sari, and Lord Vinzer had let me escape, together with Anne..." Vincent said as he fumbled for the Spiritstone in his pocket.  
  
"... No..." Verle said, slamming his fist on the table. "Golbez is DEAD! DEAD I TELL YOU!!! DEAD!!!"  
  
"Master Verle, cool down!" Sarah rose and tried to calm Verle.  
  
"After all this time of looking for it, Madan Sari, the Lost Village of the Summoners... is gone..." Verle said, breathing labored. "Now... how are we supposed to unseal the power of Ultima? Vana'diel is doomed to Palamecia for sure."  
  
"If... If you only need the Spiritstone, here it is." Vincent handed Verle the small rainbow-colored stone.  
  
"This..." Verle  
  
"The Spiritstone. I don't know where that Tower you are looking for is, but here is the key..."  
  
Verle was speechless. "This... this is wonderful! Now we can find the Tower of Mysidia!"  
  
"What do you mean, Master?" Gene asked.  
  
"Pardon me, Gene. I was just overcome with joy..." Verle told Gene. "Anyway, do you know what scrying is?"  
  
"Scrying?" Sarah said.  
  
"It's a way of locating a person, place or object using your aura and the familiarity of an item that is in some way connected to the one you are looking for." Verle answered. "All we need is a map, this stone, and my scrying pendant. Then we can find the Tower."  
  
"How does he know all this?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Master Verle is actually a Sage." Gene said. "He's also a merchant of some sort. But, he lost most of his property, including his family, when Golbez attacked."  
  
"In fact, he's the only living one among them." Sarah added. "The others died of age, or were killed by Golbez.  
  
Verle pulled out a map of the Sea of Alfheim and laid it on the table. "Okay... so, you lay the map out like so, and then, you cast Scan on the Spiritstone using this pendant as a medium." Verle was referring an pointed amber stone that was attached to a piece of small black rope.  
  
Verle then placed the Spiritstone on the table, suspended the pendant above it so that the point at the bottom touches the stone, and chanted a spell.  
  
"All-seeing Eye, look down and hear my cry! Grant me thine sight so I may see, The knowledge that was hidden from me! Scan!"  
  
At once, the amber stone began to glow green. Verle let go of it, and it began to hover above the table.  
  
"Where is the Spiritstone?" Verle commanded the pendant. At once, the pendant stopped hovering, and flew to one part of the map. Its was marking a certain island there in the Sea of Alfheim.  
  
"... Krakka Island..." Gene muttered.  
  
"One of those Chocobo Islands, huh?" Sarah said.  
  
"Yes." Verle answered. "We'll have to cross the Chocobo's Forest to get to the Tower. According to the Sages' Journal, The Spiritstone will also serve as some sort of compass if it senses one of the seals. Krakka Island is a small distance from here, but we'll set sail in the morning. It's getting late, and it looks like it's going to rain. We stay docked here in this island for the meantime."  
  
"Yes, sir." Gene answered, and walked away to the bridge, which was the room adjoining the one they are on.  
  
"Vincent, thank you for your help." Verle said.  
  
"It's a pleasure." Vincent answered.  
  
"And, yes, what of the other person?"  
  
"Other person?"  
  
"The young lady that we rescued together with you? I think her name was Anne?"  
  
"Oh..." Vincent said. "She's may be sleeping up to now. All of the people she know and grew up with were eliminated by Golbez. It's best to let her be by herself."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"Well, I kind of sleepy." Vincent said. "I think I'll just retire to the room you gave us, sir."  
  
"Well, yes, then." Verle answered. "Do you also wish to eat?"  
  
"I'm not in such a mood..."  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow morning then. And, I'll keep the Spiritstone to study it during the night." Verle said as Vincent was moving down to the sleeping quarters.  
  
Vincent waved his right hand while his back was turned to signify tat he heard Verle. He was walking down the hall when he heard something moaning.  
  
It was coming from the room where Anne was.  
  
Vincent bolted to the door and opened it.  
  
There, he saw Anne, sprawled on the floor, clutching her head.  
  
"Aaaaaaahhhh...my... head... it.... hurts... stop.... that... noise.... aaaaaahhhhh...." Anne was saying in a pained voice.  
  
"Anne? Anne! It's me, Vincent! Are you okay?" Vincent rushed to Anne's side and was shaking her a bit.  
  
"Aaaaaaah..." Anne stopped clutching her head and looked up to him. "V- Vincent... w-where... am..."  
  
"We're both safe now." Vincent replied. "You should go to sleep... and, um, are you hungry?"  
  
"Well... no..." Anne said. She was still breathing really fast.  
  
"You must be having a nightmare." Vincent said. "Good thing you woke up."  
  
While he was saying this, someone knocked on the door.  
  
"Hey, it's Sarah. Anything wrong there, Vince?"  
  
"No, nothing..."  
  
"Oh, okay. Can I come in?"  
  
"Alright."  
  
Sarah stepped into the room and sta down on the floor next to them.  
  
"Hey, she's awake, huh?" Sarah said, stretching out her hand. "I'm Sarah. You must be Anne, huh?"  
  
"Um... er... well...."  
  
"She's a bit tired, Sarah." Vincent explained, cutting Anne off. "Best if you come back tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, alright." Sarah said. "Oh, by the way, we'll have an early start tomorrow to Krakka Island, okay?"  
  
"No problem." Vincent answered.  
  
With that, Sarah left the room.  
  
Vincent helped Anne up to her feet, and helped her lay down on the bed.  
  
"Feeling better?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Um, Anne?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"I, um... we'll be looking for something tomorrow. It's bets if you just stay here and rest, okay?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Okay... good night."  
  
Vincent removed his clothes via the Dress Sphere, and he was back to his shirt and pants. He was about to lie down and go to bed when he heard Anne calling him.  
  
"Vincent?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Um... I... would like to ask you a question..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you... want to hear about my dream?"  
  
"Your dream?"  
  
"Yes." Anne said. "I... was having a dream before you woke me up. It wasn't really a bad dream, but, um, I got a bit at the end."  
  
"Alright..." Vincent said and sat on her bed's side. "What was it?"  
  
"Fire..."  
  
"Fire?"  
  
"I was... surrounded by fire..." Anne said. "And... the fire... it wasn't... painful..."  
  
"It didn't burn you?"  
  
"Yes..." Anne continued. "Well... it did feel... warm... but... a... comfortable warmth... Then... I... saw... the fire make a figure..."  
  
"And that is?" Vincent asked.  
  
"... wings." Anne said.  
  
"Wings?"  
  
"Yes, wings made of flame... and... then.. There was this noise..."  
  
"The one you wanted to stop?" Vincent asked her.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"It..." Anne began to say slowly. "...it... sounded like... a... a ... bird of some sort... a gigantic one..."  
  
"Could it be one of the Ancient?" Vincent asked.  
  
"No..." Anne said. "It... doesn't sound like... the cry... of one of the Ancients I know... Garuda... Quetzacoatl... Palidor... doesn't sound like them..."  
  
"Well, whatever it is..." Vincent said. "It's gone now. It must have been a fever dream, eh?"  
  
"Yes... maybe..." Anne said.  
  
"Okay, let's get some rest. I'll need it for tomorrow." Vincent walked up to his bed, lied down, and threw a blanket over himself.  
  
"Okay... Good night, Vincent."  
  
"You too, Anne."  
  
======================================  
  
"So... here we are..." Gene said as they set feet on Krakka Island that next morning.  
  
"Yup, Krakka Island." Sarah said, examining her blue pendant.  
  
"We're here now..." Vincent said, who was wearing his Dress Sphere ensemble. He turned to Verle and asked, "What now?"  
  
"This.." Verle's small hands pulled out the Spiritstone from his robe's inside pocket, and suspended it in the air. "I've found the way to make the Spiritstone guide us to the Tower. One I set it, it will move towards the Tower, and show us the way so that we won't get lost."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"So, you ready, Vince?"  
  
"Kind of... wait a minute..." Vincent spotted something strange. "What's with the bow and the knife?"  
  
Vincent was referring to a bow that was slung on Sarah's left arm with a quiver of arrows that was attached hip, and a knife about a foot and a half long that was in a sheath fastened to Gene's sash.  
  
"Um, well..." Sarah said, pushing her two index fingers together. "We thought of using something besides rods and staves, so I've been practicing archery..."  
  
"And this dagger's better than a dinky old rod." Gene said, showing Vincent his knife.  
  
"Well, whatever works for you..." Vincent said, a sweatdrop forming at his head.  
  
"Um, uh... Vincent?" a timid voice behind him said.  
  
Vincent almost jumped when he heard the voice. Turning around, he saw Anne, who was wearing a white and blue dress, and her Summoning Crown on her head.  
  
"Anne! Are you okay?"  
  
"Yes..." Anne said. "Um, Vincent... can I... join you?"  
  
"But, aren't you tired?"  
  
"I'm okay." Anne said. "Besides, I think you'll be needing my help."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"C'mon, Vince, let her come with us." Gene said. "Besides, we could need another White Mage in our group, and I hear from Vince you conjure powerful Avatars."  
  
"Th-thanks..." Anne said, blushing a bit.  
  
"Now that's settled, no rest for the wicked." Verle said, as the Spiritstone began to hover away. "Okay, everyone, this way!"  
  
=========================  
  
"Well, the Sages are very good at hiding things, I'll give them that." Gene said as they were walking in the middle of the forest.  
  
Verle and Vincent were in the lead, well, mainly because Vincent can cut down the vegetation easily using his Zanmato, followed by Anne, Sarah, and Gene taking the rear guard.  
  
The forest's trees have grown tall in that area, and have blocked out almost all light, so they relied mostly on the light coming from the Spiritstone and from Carbuncle, who Anne had conjured to help out.  
  
On the way, they met some of the creatures who lived in the forest, of which mostly were small animals. Very much different from the game, the creatures don't attack you at first sight, and would most likely run rather than engage.  
  
"Are we there yet?" Sarah asked, tired and wanting to rest.  
  
"I think were are..." Verle said, as they stepped into a clearing.  
  
There was some sunlight in the area, mainly due to the lack of trees. In the center of the clearing stood a tall structure, which was hidden in the mist.  
  
"I-is that...!?" Gene said, looking up.  
  
"Yes, it is." Verle answered. "The Tower of Mysidia."  
  
=========================  
  
Um, yeah...  
  
Sorry for the lack of update, guys. I went through a bit of a writer's block, and had to get rid of it.  
  
Anyway, so how'd this one go? R and R, please.  
  
Anyway, I'll also work on the next part of my Love Hina fanfic, so there.  
  
Once again, thank you for wasting your precious time reading my fanfic. 


	8. Warriors of the Light

Final Fantasy: The World of One  
  
******************************************  
  
Final Fantasy, the characters within and all terms with relations to the said game series are registered trademarks of Square Enix. The original characters depicted in this fanfiction piece are copyrighted to the author. Thus, nothing in this fanfic can be used without the author's, or the game producer's permissions.  
  
******************************************  
  
This fanfic is rated PG-13 for strong language, violence, alcohol and suggestive themes.  
  
******************************************  
  
Warriors of the Light  
  
Vincent looked up and tried to get a view of the top of the Tower. It was enveloped in mist, and seemed to be very high up indeed.  
  
"Just how high do you think is this Tower anyway?" Sarah asked, looking up.  
  
"According to legend, it's quite a walk." Verle said. He then walked up to what seemed to be two huge metallic doors. "Okay, time to open up the entrance."  
  
He then found a small indentation on the door, and there, he set the rainbow-colored stone. There was sort of a rumble, as the ground began to shake, and the doors slowly opened. Inside was a dark hallway, of which Verle stepped forward.  
  
"Come." he said. "Precious time is wasted if we just stand here. Lady Anne, if you may please have Carbuncle guide us inside."  
  
"Um... sure thing..." Anne said. "Carbuncle, can you take the lead? We need you to light the way."  
  
Nodding, the furry little creature rushed towards the inside, and it beckoned the others to follow.  
  
It was damp inside, and smelled sort of musty. By Carbuncle's dim ruby glow, they were given a dim view of the bottom of a spiral stairwell, which seemed to go all the way up to the top.  
  
"Well, looks like we'll be doing a lot of climbing." Gene sighed. "Everyone just stay alert. We don't know what might be lurking in the shadows." He then conjured up a simple Fire spell as a handful of flames in his palm, which served as a sort of makeshift torch.  
  
"I sure hope it's nothing." Vincent said.  
  
And so, the small party walked for what seemed like hours up the dark tower. As they walked up, they saw that in the walls were pictures and calligraphy embedded in the stone. It showed many different events, and most of them reflected on battles.  
  
"Here... this looks like... a battle between the Beast Men and the Ancients." Verle was pointing to a rather large panel where they found an area that was away from the stairs. "There... Ramuh, Ifrit, Shiva... and then... the Sun and the Moon themselves, Phoenix and Bahamut..."  
  
Verle was pointing to a part of the picture where there were two large figures seemed to be battling each other. One was a gigantic bird of some sort, which had majestic wings and long quills, which looked as if they were made of fire, soaring above what seemed to be a dragon. But the dragon stood the way humans do, and if not for the claws on its arms and feet, the dragon would have had a human body, with the head of a ferocious reptile, with gigantic dragon wings and tail.  
  
"Phoenix and Bahamut?" Anne said, looking with interest.  
  
"The mightiest of the Ancients." Verle answered. "Phoenix, she who rises from the flames and is said to be the giver of new life, and Bahamut, he who is the king of dragons, with power overwhelming, whose rage has given rise to his name as the god of destruction. Both were very different, life and death, light and dark, creation and destruction, Sun and Moon.  
  
"They say that during the time when the Dark Lord 'Chaos' controlled the Ancients, Bahamut was the last to return to his senses. It took the power of all the other Ancients combined to subdue him, though they failed. In the end, it was Phoenix who was able to return him to the fold.  
  
"According to the legend, the Ancients disappeared after the war against Chaos. Fearing that they might wreak havoc on Terra again, the Ancients either slumbered in sealed areas in the depths of this plane, or live harmoniously with the Summoners, the chosen few who were worthy enough to dwell in the utopia known as Madan Sari. They say that Bahamut now rests in a shrine built for him in the ancient ruins of Zanarkand, while they do not know what has become of Phoenix."  
  
For some time, there was silence.  
  
"Well... no use wondering about that now." Gene said. "C'mon, we have to find the Ultima Scroll. For the sake of everyone in Vana 'diel!"  
  
Verle, Gene, Sarah and Vincent began to move, but Anne's eyes were glued to the sculpture of the two titans battling each other. Carbuncle stayed there with Anne, casting its dim red gelam on the wall.  
  
"Anne, is there a problem?" Vincent moved towards Anne and looked up also to the painting.  
  
"Vincent... those... wings..." Anne said slowly. "They... they are like the ones in my dream..."  
  
"You said those... wings were... made of flame, right?" Vincent said.  
  
"Yes..." Anne answered. "Could it be... that my dream... is... connected to Phoenix?"  
  
"Most likely." Vincent said. "The one that's in your dream... no doubt it's Phoenix. You said it was a bird's cry, right?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Then, why did you dream of Phoenix? Have you two... met before?"  
  
"No..." Anne said. "Phoenix is one of the Ancients who chose not to dwell within Madan Sari. That's why I don't know much about her."  
  
"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Sarah caled to them from the stairwell. "C'mon, let's go find the Ultima Scroll already!"  
  
"Okay, you win." Vincent said. "Anne, we can worry about this later. Right now, we need the Ultima Scroll so we can fight Golbez on an even footing. You want to defeat him, right?"  
  
"Yes... for my family... the ones he has slain..." Anne said.  
  
"Let's go..." Vincent said.  
  
=========================  
  
"What now?" Gene said.  
  
The group had just reached to top of the stairwell (almost losing their breaths in the process) and had just crossed a very long, wide corridor that had eerie suits of armor all lined up on both sides, their silvery glow shining dimly in the dark. At the corridor's end was a huge metallic door (like the one at the entrance), which this time didn't have any mark to place the Spiritstone at.  
  
"Man, all this for a dead end." Sarah said, leaning on one of the suits. She tripped a bit, and the armor's arm, which was strangely lifted without an item in its hold.  
  
At once, flames rose from behind the armor suits, making them jump in surprise. When they had recovered, they found out that the flames were contained in torches that were mounted on the wall. The whole corridor was lit up in a few moments.  
  
"That... was... strange..." Sarah said weakly, trying to find her composure.  
  
Which was quickly lost when a sort of earthquake rocked them. The ground began to tremble, and it was increasingly difficult to stand up.  
  
"EEEYYYAAAAHHH!!!" Anne cried out. She had lost her balance.  
  
"Anne!" Vincent cried as he jumped to catch Anne from falling. "You okay?"  
  
"Yes... I am..."  
  
"Look!" Verle shouted out, pointing in the direction of the metal door.  
  
For the door had begun to move slowly. Very bright light began to fill the room, drowning out the ones coming from the torches. When the door had fully opened, tehy could not beleve their eyes.  
  
"Whoa..." Gene whispered in awe.  
  
On the other side of the door was a large room that had walls and floors made entirely of transparent crystals. These crystals were tinted with every color imaginable, from the deepest blue to the lightest red. A solemn aura filled the area, and in the middle of the room stood an altar made of entirely colorless crystals, and which on the top was a tome that looked as if it was at least a hundred years old. The tome's title was written in ancient tongue, and just nearing it made you feel a very powerful yet calm energy radiating from it.  
  
"The... The ... Ultima Scroll!!!" Sarah cried in delight.  
  
Vincent saw Verle take the Ultima scroll in his two hands. When he did, a blindign light took over Verle, and it flashed for a while. Vincent covered himself from the flash, and when he opened his eyes, he saw only Verle, and in his hands the ancient book.  
  
"I... I... I know it..." Verle said. "I... I know how to... cast it..."  
  
"Master...?" Gene said.  
  
"The book... the flash... it taught me... I...I know how to cast Ultima!!!" Verle said, which was followed by a victorious laugh.  
  
"Master! I'm so happy for you!" Sarah said.  
  
"The power of Ultima..." Gene said.  
  
"Yes, its power..." Verle said. "We have to take the Ultima Scroll with us. If we are to leave it here, Golbez or any other might try to take it. We must take it to someplace safe.  
  
"I'm afraid THAT isss not nesscesssary, little man."  
  
Everyone almost jumped at the voice. It was unearthly and cruel. Vincent scanned the area for the owner of the voice, and it wasn't long before he saw who it was. It was a figure who was standing if front of the door, blocking them. The voice did justice to the man, who was ten times scarier than even his dark voice.  
  
He was wearing a ragged black coat, and which under he was wearing even darker robes, from which the only parts they could see of his body were his hands. Said hands were very thin and very pale, and if it wasn't for some skin that covered his hands, they would say that the hands were actually human bones. His face was completely hidden underneath his hood, from which eyes of red like that of a viper stared at them hungrily.  
  
"Wh-who are you?" Vincent asked, his hands ready to draw Zanmato.  
  
"Ahhh... sssuch temper..." the cloaked being hissed. "Sssuch power of youth. I thought that fool Golbez had dissspossed of you, and your friendsss... and ah... I see that you a Summoner has survived our attack on Madan Sari. They were delicious prey indeed. I loved every sssingle drop of their essence."  
  
"Aaahhh..." Anne gasped, falling to her knees.  
  
The cloaked being let out a laugh that was more of a hiss. "Ah, how delectable human fear isss. I shall enjoy feasssting on you, my dear flower, after I have taken the livesss of your friends."  
  
"WHO ARE YOU!!!" Vincent shouted forcefully. "I DEMAND YOU TELL ME YOUR IDENTITY!!!"  
  
"Ah, such impatience." the cloaked being said. "Yes... I shall tell you who I am. Know my name and fear it. I was once known as Gerou, but no more. Now, I am your death, the Master of the Earth. I am Lich!"  
  
Vincent did not know what a 'Lich' was, but his four other allies gasped in horror. "No... it... it can't be..." he heard Verle stutter.  
  
"Master... he... is he really... Lich?" Gene asked.  
  
"Hmm... you seem to doubt my power, apprentice mage." Lich hissed. "Well, I should have sense that. And, you know why I am here now, don't you. Give me that Scroll."  
  
"Never!" Gene said fiercely. "I won't let you claim the Ultima Scroll!"  
  
"Such foolish courage." Lich said playfully. "No matter I shall dispose of you all anyway. Witness my power. Tremble and despair!"  
  
Lich became bathed in black aura. Then, what seemed to be a black hole appeared, and from it came forth a dragon. It was more terrifying than any dragon they have seen. Its body was putrid, its most of its flesh torn off, and its skeleton visible at certain areas. It was a mangled mess, and yet, it was living.  
  
"I shall let you play with one of my most magnificent creations, Hades. Once he has cut short your miserable lives, I shall harvest your essence to make my power stronger. And, do not worry about your bodies, they shall not go to waste. Be honored to know that they shall be part of my mighty legion of followers. Now, my pet, it is time."  
  
The dragon stood up on its two hind legs, flapped its enormous bat-like wings, and gave a horrendous roar.  
  
"Heads up!" Vincent exclaimed as the dragon began to blast them with streams of black flame that was mixed with toxin. Jumping away, Vincent drew Zanmato, and looked around to see the status of his allies.  
  
Gene had drawn his dagger, while Sarah was preparing an arrow to attack the dragon with. Ane, however, was paralyzed with fear.  
  
"Anne!!! Ugh!" Vincent jumped to push Anne away from the dragon's range of attack, of which he was hit by the black flame in the upper part of his left arm.  
  
"Vincent! Vincent! Are you okay!?" Anne had snapped out of her trance and called out to him.  
  
"Yes, I'm alright." Vincent said. "Master Verle, please find a place for you and Anne to hide. Gene, Sarah, can you help me out?"  
  
"Sure." Gene said.  
  
"Already on it." Sarah added.  
  
"Good." Vincent said. He was about to attack when he felt the searing pain in his left shoulder.  
  
"Hey, Vince, let me treat that wound first." Sarah rushed to his side, and with a Curaga spell, she had healed the wound.  
  
The dragon kept on firing streams of black flame, trying to hit them, but they were lucky enough to evade. Vincent rushed forward and lashed out with Zanmato, hitting the foe continuously. Gene infused Black Magic with his dagger to strengthen the blows. Sarah shot the dragn with arrows that flew with deadly accuracy. However, these did not seem to hurt the dragon. Even the deepest of cuts Vincent could inflict didn't slow it down. It just became more enraged and fought fiercer every time.  
  
"Hey, Vince, wait a minute." Sarah said. "Duh, the dragon's undead. We can't hurt it if we use these means. If we must stop it, we'll have to use Holy energy."  
  
"Of course!" Gene exclaimed. "But, only White Mages can harness Holy..."  
  
"I'm a White Mage, Einstein!" Sarah said, a bit annoyed. "I've got a plan. I'll store enough Holy energy into a single arrow to take that dragon down. But it'll take some time."  
  
"How much time do you need?" Gene asked.  
  
"I... don't know..."  
  
"Fifteen minutes, tops!" Vincent said as he rushed towards the dragon. "Sonic Slash!" he bellowed as he slashed continuously at thin air, creating blades of air current that hit the dragon dead on.  
  
Vincent's little diversion caught the dragon's attention. It started to go after Vincent, using its Dark Flame Breath to try to hit him. When suddenly, a blast of ice knocked it backwards. Gene had decided to join Vincent, and was casting spells to confuse the dragon.  
  
And so, for some time, it was like that: the dragon blindly rushing and firing it attacks, Vincent and Gene evading them and attacking with whatever, they have.  
  
"Sarah, how's that coming?" Gene asked.  
  
"Only... a bit more..." Sarah said, concentrating her energy on the arrow.  
  
"I... I don't know if we can hold it back for too long..." Gene said, gasping.  
  
Vincent's muscles strained, his whole body threatening to give way. He was very tired indeed. He had exhausted most of his energy trying to subdue the dragon. He had closed his eyes for a moment, and the next thing he know, black flame was rushing towards him.  
  
Vincent had tried to dodge, but his body was too heavy to move. He then felt a claw grab him and slam him to a wall with bone-crushing force.  
  
"Uuughhh..."  
  
"VINCENT!!!" he heard Anne cry.  
  
"No... uuughhh..."  
  
Lich chuckled as he say Vincent pinned to a wall by the dragon zombie. "Fool. Did you notice my ability to drain the very essence of men?"  
  
"W-what...?"  
  
"While you were fighting, I was draining your very energy." Lich said with delight. "I must say that your essence is a treat indeed, and I would love to claim every drop of it. Now, Hades, finish him off. I have changed my mind, I have no need for his body."  
  
"No... please... stop..." Anne looked on helplessly as Hades charged his Dark Flame Breath that would annihilate Vincent.  
  
When all of a sudden, they heard someone chanting.  
  
"Strength of Ages, burning bright, dissipate this eternal darkness with your everlasting light! HOLY!!!"  
  
Vincent felt the dragon's grip on him slacken, and he saw an arrow that shed light piercing its back. It began to scream in agony, staggering around, until it fell, and became a pile of ashes.  
  
When Vincent had regained his breath, he saw Sarah and Gene smiling at him, with a spark of light flashing from Sarah's palm. He was standing up when he felt someone knock him down and arms embraced tightly around him.  
  
"Oh, Vincent! You're alive! Thank you... thank you for living.." he heard Anne's voice, which was at the verge of breaking.  
  
"Anne..." Vincent embraced her tight, and she was trembling in his hold.  
  
"Tee-hee, looks like we have a couple." Sarah said.  
  
"I'm okay, Anne. But first, for Lich..." Vincent said, letting go of Anne. "You've had you playtime, so leave us alone."  
  
"Au contraire." Lich said. "I am just beginning."  
  
Suddenly, the shadows began to leap out of the wall and off the floor, and ensnared them in a dark grip.  
  
"Argh! What's this!?" Verle blurted out before he was pulled downward lying on the floor by the shadows.  
  
"Foolsss." Lich smirked. "Now stay down while I take this scroll to my master. But, before that..." The shadows lifted Anne to a standing position. "I shall feast upon your essences. And I shall begin with the most succulent meal of all..."  
  
"B-bastard! You lay one finger on her and... mmmph!" Vincent said while shaking violently until the shadows draped over his mouth.  
  
"Temper, temper." Lich said in a playful tone. "Do be patient, Vincent, ssssince you shall be next. It seems I ssshall have good use for your body, after all. Now, my pretty, share with me your youth, and your energy..."  
  
"No... please... someone... help..."  
  
Helpless, Vincent could only close his eyes as Lich closed in on her.  
  
/Forgive me, Anne.../  
  
/I... wasn't strong enough.../  
  
He waited for Anne's scream to fill the air.  
  
It never came.  
  
Opening his eyes, Vincent saw a piercing green light, and he felt the bonds of shadow loosen.  
  
"What!? What is thisss!?" he heard Lich blurt out.  
  
"What the...!?"  
  
Vincent looked around and saw that the green light was coming from Gene's pendant. It was shining away the shadows with the green light, which seemed to blind Lich.  
  
"No... what isss that...!? Get it away!!!" Lich exclaimed.  
  
Then, the green light began to concentrate, and fired a beam which hit Lich square in the chest.  
  
Lich was sent flying, and then lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, screaming as if agony.  
  
"GAAAAHHH!!! THE PAIN!!! AAARRRGHHH!!!"  
  
"Wh-what happened...?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Anne, Anne!" Vincent was trying to wake Anne up, who had collapsed before Lich could take her essence.  
  
"I... I don't know." Gene said. "It... just... happened."  
  
"This is... no... but could there be another answer?" Verle was thinking out loud. "In any case, we must defeat Lich now that he is weak."  
  
Gene, Sarah and Verle closed upon Lich in order to finish him off, but was cut short by a wall of water that erupted from the ground. Together with the wall materialized a woman who was dressed in a quite revealing light blue robe, had light blue hair that ran through her back, and a pair of deep blue eyes.  
  
"You were careless, Lich." the woman said. "You should have known that they were the ones. We have failed for now, but we shall defeat them... once you are strong again."  
  
"Grrrr... you... win... thisss time..." Lich said, his eyes flashing like wildfire. "...but... I... will have... my... vengeance..." And with that, Lich disappeared in a flash of black.  
  
"Who... who are you?" Sarah asked the blue-haired woman.  
  
"Sarah, now's not really the time to ask that kind of question!" Gene said.  
  
"I...see... you have the Sigil of Water. Sarah, is it?" the woman answered. "Know my name, for we shall become the worst of enemies. I am Ursula, the Nymph of Water. But you may call me, 'Kraken'. We shall meet again. I hope you are a worthy foe by that time."  
  
And with that, she disappeared.  
  
"Who.. Who was that woman?" Sarah asked.  
  
"She is the reincarnation of Kraken, one of the Four Fiends who helped Chaos bring the Darkness to Terra." Verle said.  
  
"Lich, Kraken, Kari and Tiamat." Gene said. "The Four Fiends. But, why are they here?"  
  
"I have much to tell you." Verle answered. "But, for now, let us return to the ship. Night is falling."  
  
=========================  
  
"So, you mean to say someone reincarnated the Four Fiends?" Gene asked.  
  
"Reincarnated their powers." Verle answered. "Someone has taken their powers, and transferred them to individuals. That explains why you and Sarah have those pendants. Those are not ordinary. Gene, what you have is the Sigil of Earth, and you, Sarah the Sigil of Water. These Sigils are the only items that render their powers useless against an individual. Case in point, Lich's shadow magic."  
  
"But, why do we have these Sigils?" Sarah said.  
  
"It is your destiny." Verle answered. "The Sigils are your right by birth, because... you and Gene... are the Light Warriors."  
  
"Are you serious?" Gene said, shocked. "Me... and Sarah... Light Warriors!? There must be some mistake... I mean... we're not Light Warrior material at all... don't Light Warriors have to represent good traits and all that?"  
  
"I see no other explanation." Verle said. "Those Sigils are the proof of your identity. And Light Warriors are not superhuman at all. They are just humans who have chosen to accept the heavy task of protecting the world from the Darkness."  
  
What followed was a long period of silence, which was broken by Sarah's question.  
  
"Gene... what.... what do we do now?"  
  
"Well..." Gene thought for a moment. "If I remember by Japanese anime right... we can't get out of these situations easy, so we'll have to play along. I guess... we're stuck being Light Warriors, so we'll have to save this world and whatnot. Um, Master Verle?"  
  
"You can call me Verle. The Light Warriors need not speak to a humble sage with such honor."  
  
"Alright, whatever." Gene said. "Now that we know who we're up against, which is specifically Golbez and the Four Fiends, what do we do?"  
  
"You mus find the other two." Verle answered. "The ones who own the Sigils of Wind and Fire. You can't defeat the Four Fiends or Golbez if there are just the two of you."  
  
"I... understand." Gene said. "But, Master Verle, where do we go from here?"  
  
"I already told you. We'll need to find the two other Light Warriors, and then we'll have to make sure they don't get their hands on the Ultima Scroll. Do you have any idea who the two Light Warriors may be?"  
  
"I... don't know." Gene said.  
  
"Me neither." Sarah added.  
  
"Anyway, we'll head for the mainland tomorrow." Verle said. "The closest place we can dock the Blue Narciss is a small town west of here called Balamb. After that, we'll journey to Deling City by foot to gather supplies before we make the journey back to Lysergwood. We'll have to take the scroll to where it's safe."  
  
"Okay. We'll be sleeping now..." Gene said, rising from his chair.  
  
"Gene, Sarah, wait. There is one more thing..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Verle lay the Ultima Scroll at the table. "Both of you, touch the scroll. If you are the Light Warriors, then you'll need this spell."  
  
"Ultima? But, Master, I don't think that we can..." Sarah said.  
  
"Nonsense. This power is also yours. Now, touch the scroll, understand the power, and use it to save us."  
  
Gene ans Sarah walked up slowly to the Ultima Scroll, and touched it.  
  
A blinding flash of light enveloped the room as the knowledge of Ultima entered their very soul.  
  
=========================  
  
"EEEEEEYAAAAAHHH!!!"  
  
Anne burst up in bed, gasping heavily.  
  
"Anne! Are you okay?" Vincent said, who was by Anne's bedside.  
  
"I... yes... I'm okay..." Anne said between sharp breaths.  
  
"I... I thought something really bad happened to you..." Vincent said. "Good thing you're okay."  
  
"Vincent..." Anne said slowly. "I heard it again..."  
  
"Heard what?"  
  
"The bird." Anne said. "When Lich was about to attack me, I heard the bird's call. It sounded really angry."  
  
"You mean Phoenix?"  
  
"No... I don't know if it's Phoenix... but... it's a bird... and I dreamed about the fiery wings again..."  
  
"You keep having the same dream..." Vincent thought out loud. "What could it mean?"  
  
"I... I don't know... but... if that is Phoenix... she seems to... protect me."  
  
"Protect you?"  
  
"Yes..." Anne said. "I don't know, but... somehow... she want to protect me... but... something is... holding her back..."  
  
"I see..." Vincent said. "We can think about this later, okay? Right now, you and I should rest. Don't worry about anything. I'll be right by your side to protect you."  
  
"R-really?"  
  
"Of course." Vincent said. "It is a promise I've made to your father, and I owe more than my life to him. So, please, sleep well."  
  
"Yes... Vincent, thank you..." Anne said before the lay down once again and closed her eyes.  
  
Vincent then moved to his own bed and relaxed himself. In a short while, he was sound asleep.  
  
=========================  
  
Notes:  
  
I decided to use the term "Kari" or "Kary" instead of Marilith/Marilis for the Fire Fiend.  
  
Anyway, I think I'll be hiring a muse. Making these author notes by myself is a bit boring. What do you guys think?  
  
Well, thank you for reading. Review if you see fit. 


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